The Greatest Choice They've Ever Had To Make
by adrianjames
Summary: With Hawkmoth defeated and all of the miraculous safe, our heroes must take some time to think on what happens now. Coming to a decision will take deep conversations on all sides of the love square, but will they each finally find out who the other is?
1. Part 1: LADYNOIR

**_Notes:_** _Thank you to everyone who read my first fanfic and favorited it. And a greater thank you to those who left a comment, it was all so uplifting :D_

 _I thought I would probably only write the one fanfic, but then I got another idea. This story is not related to my previous one though, each being standalone stories. I hope you enjoy it._

 _This one is quite a bit longer so it's split into chapters, each chapter focused on a particular side of the love square. My plan is to post a chapter a day for the next week to get it all out before Frozer possibly ruins us all._

 _I also made myself a Tumblr account (adrianhjames) to post my work (and it will be pre-scheduled there so may post there before I'm able to get it sorted on here) and to share other Ladybug posts._

 _I hope you enjoy it, and as before, I'm happy to receive any feedback_

* * *

"After you, My Lady" Cat Noir offered, holding the door and taking a bow as he held his hand out toward the opening.

"Ever the gentleman," Ladybug replied, smiling at him as she stepped past into the massage parlor. Incense hung in the air but a hint of brewed leaves reached her nose. "I thought so," she grinned as Master Fu turned around from pouring tea.

"How wonderful to see you both together," the guardian observed, passing a cup to Cat Noir before turning to face Ladybug.

"Thanks," Cat Noir replied, raising his cup, "I'm glad we can finally come here together like this."

"You'll need to take these back first," Ladybug pointed out, and he put her cup back down on the side. Diligently, he took the other holders' miraculous jewelry over to the grammar phone, pressing the buttons that would reveal the box they belonged in. One by one he returned them to their places, saving only the turtle bracelet so that he might wear it again himself.

As Wayzz appeared from the bracelet, Master Fu commended her while returning to pick her cup back up and offer it to her again. "Thank you Ladybug, you have stewarded these wisely."

"Thank you for trusting me with them, Master," she nodded as she took the cup, glancing over at Cat Noir.

"And I suppose you've been looking forward to seeing these again," Cat Noir surmised, handing over the Miraculous Grimoire Hawkmoth had had, then unzipping his pocket to bring out the Butterfly & Peacock miraculous. Both Ladybug and Master Fu approached him to behold them, with Wayzz getting closest to the pieces himself, apparently wishing their kwamis to make an appearance by his sheer willpower. The four of them stared at the pin and the broach in silence for a while, a multitude of thoughts passing through each of their minds.

"Thank you Cat Noir, and thank you Ladybug. I am only sorry that it has taken this many years for you to be able to retrieve them," Master Fu lamented. "But I am so proud of how the both of you have grown in that time, and brought together others to fight for what is right and for the good of Paris, no matter the cost." With that final phrase he shared a knowing look with Cat Noir, one that Ladybug didn't notice.

The guardian moved to the middle of the room, sitting with his legs crossed on one side of the mat, Wayzz perched on his shoulder. Cat Noir joined him, mirroring the seated position on the other side of the mat, but in the corner, allowing Ladybug the other corner. She knelt down and sat with her legs folded to her side.

Ladybug and Cat Noir recounted the final battle and all that it had taken for the duo (well, the whole team) to emerge ultimately victorious. And yet, although they were victorious neither of them were particularly upbeat about it. If each of them hadn't been so focused on their own misgivings about the now revealed identity of Hawkmoth – Cat Noir for obvious reasons, and Ladybug because of her concern for Adrien's wellbeing going forward – they might have wondered why Master Fu wasn't actually asking them about their lack of celebration. Really, they should have each been asking the other why they weren't celebrating, but they had developed a close enough bond so as to sense that although something wasn't right, nothing was exactly wrong either.

"Now that we have the butterfly and peacock miraculous again, does this mean you will be returning yours? Will I get to see your kwamis again now?" Wayzz asked, eager to be reunited with more of his kin. The heroes' heads jerked up in unison as they looked towards each other, eyes widening in shock at the suggestion.

"Not so fast Wayzz," Master Fu interjected, "there is still more to discuss". But the question to be considered was out there – what happens now?

"Uh…" Cat Noir started.

"What do…" Ladybug tried, as they tripped over each other's attempts at sentences.

They each stayed quiet for a moment, hoping the other would find the words to ask the questions they knew they needed to talk about. Eventually, Ladybug took a slow deep breath and let it back out more quickly. "Do we have to return our miraculous now?"

Master Fu looked at her, then across at Cat Noir, then back at her, taking the time to assess the emotions that had been passing over each of their faces. "As you know, these are powerful items, to be treated with the greatest of care, as you have been doing these last few years." He continued to look between them as he spoke. "But now that the threat of Hawkmoth has passed I think for everyone's safety the miraculous should all be returned and kept hidden."

Ladybug drew her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around them, resting her nose on her knees. Cat Noir could see the water in her eyes as the words he could only assume she feared had been spoken. His own feelings were close – he wasn't near to crying but the idea of losing the freedom that his miraculous had granted him was not one he had wanted to consider.

"But… Tikki…" Ladybug went to say, unable to get beyond her kwami's name. A single tear rolled down the cheek closest to Cat Noir and she buried her face in her legs.

Master Fu, as committed to his purpose of protecting the miraculous as he was, was still an understanding man. "Do not worry, I am not asking you to leave this part of your lives behind you, and I am certainly not asking you to say goodbye forever to a companion as close as a kwami. I can scarcely imagine getting by without Wayzz by my side."

After a moment Ladybug breathed out and her shoulders relaxed a little. Cat Noir was not sure what to make of what the guardian was telling them.

"For the meantime there is no longer a need in Paris for Ladybug and Cat Noir, but although the miraculous will be kept safe you will still be welcome to come and visit at any time." There was a positive and a negative to this news which both of them felt. Relieved to know that they did not need to say a final goodbye to their closest friends, the thought of no longer being the superhero personas that had been such a big part of their lives was a lot to handle.

"You want us to give up being who we are?" Cat Noir eventually questioned.

"Never," Master Fu responded, "but who you are is not these masks, these suits, these powers. You have these roles _because_ of who you are – you are not who you are because you have these roles." This was going to be a lot for the two of them to process. After some more silence the guardian spoke up again. "The big question that I cannot answer for you is: are you now going to tell each other who you are under the masks? Or do you wish it to remain secret?"

Cat Noir immediately turned to glance at Ladybug before querying what had been said. "Why would we need to keep keeping it secret?"

Ladybug spoke up, the tremor in her voice only slightly noticeable now, "Because Master Fu said 'for the meantime'," she highlighted. Lifting her head from her legs she looked over at him. "You said 'For the meantime there is no longer a need for Ladybug and Cat Noir.' You mean we might have to take up these roles again in the future?" she asked, turning from the guardian to Cat Noir as she spoke.

"It is possible," he confirmed, "and there are no other people I would want to take up the role than you two." While the compliment warmed each of their hearts, it was not enough to battle the difficulty of coming to terms with giving up the roles in the meantime.

"So we might want to still keep our identities secret in case there's a next time, for the same reasons we've kept them secret this time…" Ladybug offered. Cat Noir sighed heavily. Whatever reservations or concerns he might have himself held about sharing identities, he had always wanted to be able to once Hawkmoth was defeated. And Ladybug knew this. She hadn't meant to take that away from him after so long. "What do you think Master Fu? What do you think really? Is another threat likely?"

He answered her in as straightforward a way as he could. "Possible, yes, likely, no. As I say, I cannot answer this question for you."

"And we're supposed to decide this here and now?!" Cat Noir demanded. "This is a lot to process!"

"No, it does not need to be today. Take all the time you need," he answered, taking some of the pressure they had been feeling off. Obviously they couldn't just keep their miraculous forever under the guise of 'taking time', but this afforded them some breathing space. "Come Wayzz, let us leave them to talk." The duo stared at each other as Master Fu left and busied himself in another room.

"As if today wasn't heavy enough," Cat Noir pondered out loud, shifting around to lie on the mat on his back, arms extended out on each side, and stared at the ceiling. Ladybug may not have understood the extent to which he was feeling that but they both felt a weight after the events that had transpired.

"I know," Ladybug agreed. Sensing the need to reassure and comfort him she turned as well and lay down alongside him, resting the back of her head on his outstretched arm and looking up too, her hands held together over her stomach. "I don't know, Kitty, I'm sorry," she apologized.

"Why are you sorry, My Lady?" He asked her with an expression communicating to her that he really didn't know why she would feel that.

"I know you've wanted us to be able to share identities since day one, and I know I've always said we couldn't while Hawkmoth was around. I'm sorry because now that we're here, now that he's dealt with, I still don't know if we can share identities." She sighed and turned her head to face away from him.

"Bugaboo, don't ever think I could be disappointed in you," he reassured her. She turned her head over to look at him and the smile he gave her was so gentle and caring that she couldn't help but smile back at him. "The thing is, I want us to be able to continue our friendship after all of this, but we need to know each other's identities for that to be possible."

"I know, Cat, I know." She returned to facing the ceiling as she continued to think it all over. "But what if we _are_ needed again, what if sharing who we are under the mask now puts us in danger for something we don't know about yet? That's a lot to think on." Ever the pragmatist Ladybug had to think about every possibility, and Cat Noir knew this – heck, it was one of the things he admired about her.

"Ladybug," he called, drawing her gaze back to himself, "I will always respect you in this. Please take all the time you need to think about it, because I would want you to be absolutely certain before we were to reveal ourselves to each other." Once again, the honesty and openness with which he spoke to her brought a heartfelt smile to her face. She couldn't doubt the care he had for her, even if she knew she didn't return the romantic feelings he harbored.

"Thank you Cat, I couldn't have ever asked for a better partner." With that she wrapped an arm around him and rested her head on his chest, as he brought down the arm she had been laying on around her back and side and held her there, his other hand moving to behind his head. They lay that way for a while as they each thought about the possibilities in front of them. Finally, she spoke again. "How about this," she suggested, "we each take the next week to think about what we should do." Cat Noir lay there, considering her idea and "hmm"-ing as he did, and she shifted herself on to her front, leaning up on her elbows to further explain her plan. "It's Saturday today, so why don't we meet up on Friday to talk about what we've been thinking." Cat Noir looked at her as she spoke, momentarily distracted by her captivating blue eyes but able to take in her proposal. "That way we can come back here next Saturday to tell Master Fu what we've decided."

Taking a moment to weigh up the possibilities, he decided quickly on what he thought of the plan. "Ok," he agreed, adding with a grin and winking, "it's a date!"


	2. Part 2: MARICHAT

After Ladybug had departed the massage parlor, Adrien had detransformed and explained their plan to Master Fu while Wayzz and Plagg spoke together. This had also been the first opportunity for him to process the revelation of Hawkmoths identity with someone, since he couldn't yet discuss the ramifications of that with Ladybug. Master Fu had once again been kind and understanding, encouraging Adrien as Plagg nuzzled at his neck, and eventually, through the tears (there _were_ tears for this), he felt ready to face the situation and returned home.

Home was quiet. In his room at least. As usual. But outside were reporters as well as everyone else who wanted to try and get a glimpse of what was going on. Police had already combed his room but were still checking the house for anything that might be of interest in the case against Gabriel Agreste, having already found the connection with Hawkmoth's lair. Nathalie was no longer around, carted off for processing along with Gabriel once her complicity in his actions was recognized, but the Gorilla was still here. He had been questioned (Adrien wondered how that had gone since he wasn't known for his conversational skills) but ultimately been considered to be unconnected to Hawkmoth's activities (save for the time he was akumatized, but that wasn't held against him). He had been free to leave after giving the authorities all the help he could, but rather than leave he had returned to his post, watching out for Adrien. At least, as far as he was aware that's what he was doing, and Adrien was grateful. But Adrien was about to use the exit through the window, watching for the moment the police guard changed and he could dash away without being seen. It was already Sunday afternoon, the questioning he'd had to sit through and the direction he'd given to the police had taken the rest of Saturday and this long into today, but it was done now and everyone expected him to want to be alone and undisturbed for a while. As usual. He'd taken a little while to figure out the movements of the police presence around the house, during which time he had talked things through with Plagg.

"This is messed up," he had exclaimed, Plagg agreeing immediately. "I wonder what's going to happen to me".

"You're old enough to make your own decisions about that now Adrien," Plagg had reminded him, "even if your dad was still here he wouldn't get to say what you choose to do any more." Plagg, despite his usual whining, had been amazingly supportive of his charge in light of all that had happened. He hadn't once begged for cheese Adrien had noticed, immediately realizing that he hadn't given him any that day. He had opened a whole wheel and left it available to Plagg as an unspoken gesture of gratitude for Plagg's support.

"The thing is," Adrien admitted, staring out at the city, the sun hidden behind some clouds but bright enough for it to be a beautiful day, "what I'm supposed to do with _this_ whole situation isn't what's on my mind."

"I figured," Plagg replied, not even looking up from the cheese.

"Did you now?" Adrien quizzed him, glancing back into the room, "and why is that?"

"As if you'd be thinking about anything other than the possibility of finally learning who Ladybug is," Plagg explained casually, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, which to Plagg it was.

"Right," Adrien agreed, returning to his observance of the activity around the perimeter of the house. "What do you think she'll decide?"

"I don't know, Adrien, all I know is what you want her to decide."

'Fair enough,' Adrien thought, but the comment made him reflect on his own desires – was he being selfish?

And with that he felt ready to go.

"Plagg," he called, finally drawing the kwami's attention away from his feast and to his charge, "Claws Out!"

…

Bounding along the rooftops felt strangely more freeing than it ever had – and it had always given him a sense of release. But where was he running this time? There was no akuma, and there wasn't really a need for patrols any more. He wasn't sure if he was running from his problems or trying to run to solutions. But running he was, and it felt good. Then the self-doubt that had arisen in him started to return and he found that that was his focus. Was he going to end up pressuring Ladybug into something she didn't want? But if she was against sharing identities they may never see each other again – how was he supposed to resign himself to being ok with that?

As he leapt across the Seine onto the roofs of the Île de la Cité he spotted a familiar face walking along the Boulevard. Stopping to jump into the tree closest to her he announced his presence, "why hello there, Princess."

"Cat Noir!" Marinette exclaimed, nearly dropping the coffee cup in her hand. "What are you doing here?" She wore her normal outfit, that purse she wore everywhere close to her side as usual.

"Getting possibly one of my last looks of Paris from this vantage point," he told her, before realizing that it might not be prudent to give such information out. "Uhh", he cleared his throat. She hadn't seemed surprised by that admission, but confusion eventually came to her face.

"What does that mean?" she asked. He wondered to himself why he had just told her such a significant piece of information as readily as that.

"Well… err…" he started, before deciding whether or not to have this conversation with her. She had always been so supportive of him – when they battled an akuma together, when he poured out his heart about Ladybug – if there was anyone he would be comfortable talking to this about it was her. "Say, what are you doing right now?"

"I'm, uh, not really doing anything," she revealed. "I was just taking a walk to try and think through some things." She looked down as she spoke, as though she didn't want that to be the center of the conversation. Cat Noir had no intention of prying, and he really wanted to be able to talk about his own internal struggles.

"How do you feel about going for a walk with me?" Cat Noir offered. "And when I say a walk I mean 'can I pick you up and take you somewhere more private but more interesting?'" Marinette looked at him with curiosity in her eyes and took a drink from her coffee cup, proving that it was pretty much empty. He wondered how long that meant she had been out thinking about things too.

"How private?" she asked. Fair question, though Cat hoped that didn't mean she was uncomfortable around him.

"Well when I say private I mean somewhere most people can't get to, not somewhere where no-one can see us." Still cryptic. "You'll like it I think, and it's not far." If it had been the idea of being with him that had made Marinette uncomfortable then this probably wouldn't have been enough to change her mind.

"Ok," she agreed, and walked over to drop her cup into the nearest trash can as he grinned. No sooner had she turned back around to him than he picked her up and leapt back up to the rooftops. Although he had carried her like this before he still expected her to show some trepidation at hurling through the air, but she seemed unfazed by it (though what he couldn't know was that while she was secretly nervous at being high up without her own powers this was cancelled out by her absolute trust in her partner).

He had been honest, they didn't have far to go – a hop, a skip and a jump away and he placed her down next to him atop the northern tower of the front of Notre-Dame. Private, since no one else was up here, but definitely not unseen. The crowd lined up to see the cathedral and everyone else in the square had spotted them as they approached and many were pointing up at them. You could tell the tourists from the Parisians in this way – those who lived here no longer found it a novelty to see one of their superheroes on top of one of the city's famous landmarks. However, this time the stares and pointing were probably enhanced by the fact that Cat Noir had taken an unknown girl up there with him.

Having taken a moment to appreciate the view (Cat Noir would expect a "civilian" to be dazzled by such a location after all) and assessed the people staring up at them, Marinette turned to talk to him. "So what's going on, Kitty?" she asked, the nickname being thankfully generic enough that it shouldn't give her away.

"Well," he began, looking out over the Seine as he spoke, "I'm sure you've heard the news that we finally got Hawkmoth". She didn't need to have had a hand in that directly to know it, the news was all over France, let alone Paris. He managed to suppress any negative emotions associated with the details of that situation for fear of giving away how much it affected him personally, and thereby jeopardizing his identity.

"Yes, thanks to you and Ladybug," she said gratefully. The thankfulness in her voice helped him feel the good in what they had achieved – and she always elevated him up to an equal with Ladybug, even though he held his partner in much higher regard than he did himself. He smiled at her before carrying on.

"Well, it kind of means Paris doesn't need us any more…" he didn't try as hard to suppress the negative emotions of that statement, since they tied in to what he wanted to talk about, and he sighed.

"That can't be right," she reasoned, "Paris always needs heroes." The reassurance she could offer him reminded him why he had decided she would be good to talk with about this.

"You're right of course, but now that its resident supervillain has been caught it doesn't need _super_ heroes." The clarification he offered was sound in its logic, but the emotion was still there. "We'll both try to still be heroes, I'm sure, but we need to hang up the capes, so to speak." He was looking out over the surrounding rooftops again as he spoke. "Who knows, maybe we'll need to put them on again in the future, but I can't say I wish another supervillain on Paris." Marinette stayed quiet, allowing him the space to get out everything he wanted to without interruption. When he didn't carry on, she spoke.

"So you're struggling with the idea of leaving this behind?" she queried, trying to see what he was leading to with his explanation so far.

"Funnily enough, no," he answered, confusing her, which he picked up on from the expression on her face. "Well, yes, that is one of the struggles, I will miss this, and I don't really want to give it up, but I know it's the right thing to do. In that sense, it isn't a struggle because I've already made up my mind about it." Marinette was surprised by that. Although she couldn't say anything to him about it that was the aspect of it that had been most on her mind so far – saying goodbye to a significant part of her identity.

"So what _is_ it you're struggling with?" she stared at him as he looked out over the crowd, still not having turned back to face her. He sighed again.

"I might lose Ladybug." He turned his head away from her this time as the emotions were unhindered now, and after a moment Marinette thought she could hear a sniff. A different day, a different rooftop with Cat Noir in her civilian form, but another revelation about the depths of his feelings for Ladybug. His arm moved up as he wiped briefly at his eyes and he took in and let out a deep breath.

"Why do you say that?" she asked softly, breaking the silence, desperate to comfort and reassure him but aware that displaying too much eagerness to do so could give her away. She took a step towards him, the crowd lost to her mind, and placed a hand gently on his back.

"I'm sorry," he finally said, turning back towards her. "This must be making you uncomfortable." His own mind back on her seeming initial hesitancy to be alone with him.

"No, Cat, don't be sorry. And it's not – I'm here if you want to talk about it." Once again she disarmed his concerns and he felt ok to keep sharing.

"It's just that, because we can't say for certain that Ladybug & I will never be needed again, she still seems hesitant to reveal our identities to each other, to keep them safe like we always have. And I get that, I really do, and I will always respect her wishes." Marinette was touched to know that it wasn't just something he said to her as Ladybug – that he would say it to someone else when he didn't really need to showed how genuine he was about it. "But the thing is, if we don't reveal them now then we won't see each other again until a time that might never happen." They'd talked about this back at Master Fu's place (not that Cat realized that), but the way he described it now made it suddenly clearer to her. "We might never see each other again," he summarized, swallowing as a way of keeping his emotions more in check this time, "and I don't know how to deal with that."

Marinette was silent. She couldn't really offer any insight into the situation because she had yet to properly spend time thinking over it for herself. Eventually, although it seemed silly, being who she was and knowing the answer already, she said the only thing she could think to say: "have you talked to her about this?" As she asked, she looked away for fear of giving something away in her expression or in her eyes. Cat Noir had really reframed what she was supposed to be thinking about this week.

"Not really," he told her. "We've arranged to take this week to think it over then talk about it later on." That was the crux of it. He had shared with her the part he was having the most trouble with, but he had a little more to get off of his chest. "But the other thing is, I'm really worried that I'm just being selfish in all of this. Not seeing her again would be really hard to accept, but the last thing I want to do is pressure Ladybug into something that she doesn't really want."

Cat Noir's sincerity left Marinette in awe once more of who she had for a partner – that he would think he was being selfish in the midst of one of the most selfless things she had ever heard. "You're not being selfish Cat," she assured him, "it's ok to fear losing something like that." She had a lot more to think about now too. "And I don't believe for a second that you would pressure Ladybug into something, you're one of the most selfless people I know."

"Thank you, Princess," Cat responded. "That really means a lot."

"Cat," she then asked, "why are you talking about this all with me?"

"The truth is, Marinette, you are probably the person I'm closest to after Ladybug, inside the mask at least." Another thing he had said that had completely floored her today. The last phrase she took to mean 'there are people I'm closer to when I'm not Cat Noir', and he knew she'd probably understand it that way, but he had really meant 'I'm not this close to you when I'm Adrien'. For Marinette, to learn her standing in his eyes (as a civilian and not as a superhero) put everything she knew about him into a new perspective. His honesty, his loyalty, his kindness, all of his qualities seemed to shine even brighter because of this. "You've helped me fight villains, you've encouraged me in my heart troubles over Ladybug, you're the person who seems to most understand me." Marinette stood there, embarrassed in a positive way by learning how he thought of her, not finding any words to form a response. "Thank you, Princess," he finished. She finally turned back to look at him and caught him smiling an innocent, friendly smile at her. "Shall I let you get back to your walk?"

For a moment she wasn't sure what he was talking about, until she remembered back to the beginning of this encounter. "Err… y-yes… sure," she finally managed. "And Cat," she said as he approached her to pick her back up, "thank you for sharing with me. I'm sorry I couldn't offer much help."

"Thank you for listening, Princess," he said, taking her into his arms again, "this has been the most helpful time." He jumped down to the lower section of the cathedral and back over to the rooftops they had come from, retracing their steps in reverse to drop Marinette off where he had found her.

"I hope you can talk with Ladybug soon," she told him, a half-truth of sorts, as they had already talked without him knowing. She was grateful for that, even if he was left thinking that he wouldn't get to share with her until later in the week.

"Me too," Cat admitted, "and Marinette?" he added.

"Yes?" she asked.

"I'd always be willing to listen if you ever needed someone to talk to about the things you've been taking a walk for today." As she smiled at him in response he jumped into the same tree from before and then out of sight.


	3. Part 3: LADRIEN

Marinette's walk home had been different than the rest of her walk had been. Hearing Cat talk had made her feel bad for how – up to that point – she had only been thinking about what _she_ was giving up, and now felt like the selfish one. Dinner with her parents had distracted her from all she had to think about but she lay awake late into the night trying to process everything.

"Tikki, what am I going to do without you?" she asked honestly. "How am I supposed to get through these late night freak-outs on my own?"

"Maybe you can ask Master Fu to stay in his spare room on nights like that?" Tikki suggested with a smile. "It really won't be goodbye for us you know, and I hope you'll visit a lot."

"You know I will," Marinette reassured her as they rubbed their foreheads together. On the first night Tikki had helped her think through what giving up her miraculous would mean for her – she'd get her nights back, she wouldn't have to run into danger at a moment's notice, she wouldn't have to lie to her friends and family, but yes, she would miss the thrill of flying through the city, the power that came with the suit, and its other benefits like faster healing. Tonight though she had had to reflect on Cat Noir's perspective – she had meant more to him than any of that, and as she talked about it with Tikki she had come to realize that she felt the same about him, even if she didn't share the romantic part.

"Now get some sleep," Tikki chided her, "this may be a significant week for you, but you still need your rest."

….

The school day was a pretty normal one – Marinette was late, she fell over at least three times and froze when Adrien asked her how her weekend was (though this time it wasn't just because it was him, but also because she couldn't honestly tell him and didn't know what to say). The four of them had all been able to go to the same lycée and were in their final year – they didn't have all of the same classes together, but saw each other at least once every day. But today Adrien had only been there for part of the day, his Bodyguard even coming in to the classroom with him now, given all of the extra attention that could come his way.

Since coming to realize the night before that she didn't want to lose her friendship with Cat Noir she had had to think about what it would be like for them to learn each other's true identities, but she couldn't figure out how it might go down. The thought she had kept coming back to was that knowing someone from a distance as a celebrity was very different to knowing them as a person – and people sometimes got disappointed when meeting their idols and finding out what they are really like. What if learning who each other was affected their partnership negatively?

"You know," Tikki suggested after they arrived home that evening, "you could take a leaf out of Cat Noir's book."

"What do you mean?" Marinette asked her, unsure where this was going.

"Well, he chose to talk things through with someone. What's stopping you from doing the same?" It was an interesting suggestion, Marinette thought. She supposed Cat Noir had set a precedent, and in a few days' time there would probably be no Ladybug around anymore anyway, so why not share with someone?

"Who do you think I should talk to? Alya?" Marinette proposed.

"Alya is wonderfully supportive of you both in and out of the mask, but imagine her finding out that Ladybug was leaving – she'd be all the more eager to expose you on the Ladyblog." Tikki had a point, in any other situation Alya would be the go-to-girl, but not for this. "I was thinking of someone who already knows what it's like to have people who know him as a celebrity get to know him as a real person," Tikki clarified. Marinette looked at her with a confused expression as Tikki floated towards her wall – surrounding herself with pictures of a certain young man.

"Adrien?!" Marinette yelped, almost falling off of her chair "I can't talk to him!"

"Maybe not as Marinette," Tikki agreed, "but you normally can as Ladybug…"

It took a little bit of reassuring from the kwami but Marinette _had_ thought it was a nice-sounding idea as soon as she heard it. It didn't take too long before she decided to go. "Tikki," she called, "Spots On!"

…

There was still a bustle of activity around the Agreste Mansion so she was careful in her approach, but she knew where Adrien's room was and positioned herself to see inside from a neighboring property. Spotting him pacing back and forth – talking to himself? – she swung across the street, avoiding the attention of any of those nearby. Her yoyo attached to the roof, she lowered herself into a hanging position in front of his window and knocked. He about fell over backwards when he saw her, but after glancing around his room quickly he hurried over and opened a window.

"Ladybug! What are you doing here?" Adrien nearly yelled, clearly surprised at her appearance, before remembering that his house was under closer scrutiny than normal and clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Well, I… err…" she started, before chastising herself internally to stay focused and talk normally, "may I come in?"

"Of course!" he said, more quietly, "please, make yourself at home".

She dropped in through the open space and walked passed him. He gestured towards the couch and sat at one end of it, and, assessing the space, she took a seat at the other end. "I should have tried to see you earlier," she started to tell him, "it can't have been easy finding out about your dad." She had considered before coming that turning up with her own needs would have been incredibly thoughtless given what Adrien was going through. She would rather be able to offer a shoulder to him as Marinette, but this gave her a seemingly realistic reason for seeing him.

"Right," Adrien agreed, surprised but moved that she had thought to check in on him like this. "Yeah, err, Cat Noir was here to check in on me yesterday," he said, the only thing he could think of in response. Not the entire truth, but not exactly a lie either.

"Oh, that's so good of him," Ladybug exclaimed, surprised to learn that her partner would have thought to make a house call, but then reprimanding herself for not thinking that Cat would do such a thing. She had learned a lot about how tender-hearted he was and that did fit. "Were you guys able to talk about things?" she enquired.

"Sort of," Adrien answered, trapped in his own mistruth but hoping that answer would come across as the bravado and ambiguity men typically displayed when faced with intense emotional moments. "It's still a lot to process, and obviously my future is way up in the air right now," he offered.

"I'd say I can imagine, but I probably can't," she explained, honestly. "I'm glad you had Cat to talk about it with."

"Yeah," Adrien said, a slightly nervous laugh escaping him. Ladybug shifted awkwardly in her seat, uncomfortable at apparently making him nervous.

"Was it helpful to talk to him?" she tried, not really sure how she would lead this conversation if he did need to open up about it, hoping that he had already been able to talk it through with Cat.

"It was." Adrien confirmed. He was aware that his side of the conversation was very stunted and wished he could come up with more to say. Ladybug seemed to feel awkward and he wanted to stop her feeling so, but he was being asked to recall details of a conversation that hadn't quite happened.

"Do you, um, need to talk about it any more?" she asked him, but the hesitancy only added to the uneasy atmosphere. Adrien was kicking himself for things to say but didn't want to make it worse.

"I don't think so right now," he shared, but fearing that she would leave (and she did look somewhat relieved to hear that) he quickly added, "but I'd appreciate the company for a while longer," and that managed to release the tension in the room.

"Ok," she agreed, seeming to relax a little.

"Great," he said, "can I get you anything?" Eager to make her comfortable he was already thinking of a list of food and drinks he could offer.

"No, that's ok," she declined, "but thank you." He was half way up already and was left wondering whether to sit back down or stand up and sensed the tension about to return. Thankfully, she spoke up again before that could happen. "I was actually wondering if I could ask you about something else?"

Taking his seat again he looked over at her, wondering what request he could oblige. "Of course," he told her.

"It's a bit weird, and I'll explain," she started, shifting in her seat a little again, "but I wanted to ask about how you switch between being a celebrity and being a… well… a normal person?" The request caught Adrien off-guard, he was expecting a physical request of some sort, not a deep question like that. Sensing his being off-balance, she tried to retract her enquiry. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't ask about your personal life, especially now, with everything that's happening," and she stood up as though ready to leave.

"No, no," Adrien interjected, "it's fine really." He had raised his hands to gesture for her to stop and motioned towards the couch again. "Please stay, it's just a complicated question is all." When she sat back down he was able to breathe again, having worried that he had nearly scared her away. "What exactly are you trying to figure out?"

Ladybug hadn't been sure what she would reveal to him, being always vigilant to protect her identity, even now, but ruminating on how Cat had opened up to her civilian self she decided that she could safely open up somewhat too. "Well," she started, "now that Haw… um… your dad, has been… well… you know…" she looked at him, worried she was crossing a line. He looked back and nodded, signaling for her to carry on. "There's not really the same need for me and Cat Noir to carry on."

"So you're leaving?" Adrien asked, feigning ignorance about the matter and trying to sound shocked.

"Not leaving Paris, no," she clarified, "I'll still be here but as my other self – Ladybug won't be around anymore".

"Oh!" He let out, faking surprise again. "So you've got to transition to being a normal person now? That's what you're asking me about?"

"No, not exactly," she answered. "I already live as a normal person when I don't have the mask on, so it's not that I've got to figure that out." He looked at her with an expression that conveyed an ongoing lack of understanding. "It's how to help someone move from seeing you as a celebrity on a pedestal to coming to terms with what you are like as a normal person..." Adrien looked at her as he took in the question.

"So you're going to be telling everyone who you are?" he asked, knowing full well that that would be an incredibly out of character thing for her to do, but wanting to maintain his cover.

"No," she countered, "no, no, no. I don't want the world to know, quite the opposite. You never know, there may be a need for us again in the future, so we still need our identities to stay secret."

"So who would you be telling then?" He asked, already knowing who she would say.

"Just Cat Noir."

He took a moment to process it, because although he knew she was talking about him, he wasn't sure why she was asking Adrien about it, or even what the need for the question was. "I'm sorry Ladybug, but I'm still confused as to what you're asking me. Why would you need to help Cat Noir to learn who you are? And why are you asking me?"

She breathed in, steadying herself. This was the longest, and definitely the most personal, conversation they had had together. "You're a model – I imagine people idolize you and put you on a pedestal?" Adrien nodded. "But who they treat you as doesn't reflect who you really are?"

Yes, that was a pretty good description of his experience with fame. "No, not who I am entirely at least. I have to maintain a public image so I don't get to be myself much," he explained to her.

"Exactly. Well," and she paused to gather her thoughts into the question she wanted to ask, "are you afraid to let people know the real you, in case they don't like it?"

It was a tough question and he had to sit back and think for a while on how to answer it. He also started to understand why she was asking the question. "With some people, yes. With others it's easier. I have some great friends at school, and I'm able to be mostly myself around them. But with people on photo shoots, and crowds who want autographs I know I have to put on a show." His explanation came together as he thought about how to describe it, but he knew he had to give her a truthful answer. "Yes, I guess if I'm honest with myself I am afraid to open up to those people about who I am. And to be really honest, even my closest friends at school don't know everything about me." With that he stopped. He wasn't sure he should have gone that far. If she asked any more he couldn't tell her that he only felt fully himself when he was Cat Noir, and so he tried to remedy the situation. "That's actually more honest than I've probably ever been with anyone about myself. I'm sorry to have dropped that on you. Please forget I said it."

"No, Adrien, I'm sorry if I pushed you," Ladybug tried to say.

"You didn't, I'm glad to be able to say it to someone actually, I just didn't mean to make this about me," he stated. "But you, you don't have anything to worry about."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You're worried Cat Noir won't like who you are outside of your 'celebrity' persona. Well it's clear to everyone how much he values you, so I think he's one of the ones who you'll find it easy to be yourself around." Ladybug found that reassurance uplifting, in spite of the significance of what Adrien had shared before it. She wasn't entirely convinced yet, but with that simple observation Adrien had managed to reduce her fears.

"Thank you, Adrien."

"Any time," he said, with a tone that communicated she really would be welcome to talk to him again.

"I should get going," Ladybug said, rising from her place, though this time not quite as awkwardly. "But Adrien," she added, "you should be yourself more – you are a wonderful person and I'm sure your friends would value knowing all of you". He smiled at her and followed her as she walked back to the window, jumping up to crouch on the open window frame. "Goodnight", she said, jumping into the air as she extended her yo-yo.

"Goodnight," he called back, into the night.


	4. Part 4: MARICHAT

Adrien's next day at school had been just as short, his bodyguard with him wherever he was now (he wouldn't exactly follow him into a cubicle but he did now enter the school bathrooms with him). Adrien was glad there weren't going to be any akuma attacks because he wasn't sure how he would get away from him if there were. He really did appreciate the protection the Gorilla was giving him, especially knowing that he could have walked away from his job after finding out what had been done by his employer. He didn't feel as suffocated by it all as he thought he might as he could appreciate how much of a magnifying glass he was now under as 'the son of Hawkmoth'. He had tried to keep his usual schedule running as normal even though his father wasn't there to enforce it, partly to distract himself from the weight of what was happening, and partly to keep up appearances that he was who he had always been and was not another supervillain in the making. But he had found himself really quite disengaged in whatever task was at hand. He could talk to his friends pretty much without issue (even if Marinette would freeze up on him or stumble on her words), but the topics of classes were going in one ear and out of the other, and his extra tutoring in piano and Chinese that day more or less happened on autopilot.

Instead, all he was doing was thinking about Ladybug. Well, he was thinking about what she had shared with him the previous night. It had never really occurred to him that their dynamic could change if they took off their masks, and he had realized that he had always just assumed that they would carry on as usual, only with different names to call each other by. The thought that the way they saw each other might change had only now started to take root, and it completely reoriented his thinking on the matter. What had been an insatiable desire for the knowledge of true identities suddenly had an element of uncertainty introduced to it and he had spent all day thinking about it.

Having gotten back in from Chinese and eaten his dinner he had retired to his room "for the night". Plagg got a rough outline of his thoughts from throughout the day and a destination before being called into the ring on Adrien's hand. Out the window they went again.

…

He had known not too long into the day that he wanted to talk to Marinette about this again. Her presence two days before had really made him feel better and he was hoping she might be able to help him process this next train of thought a little. He had really wanted to turn and ask her before leaving the school, but that wasn't exactly a possibility as Adrien and his bodyguard's unrelenting presence made a transformation near impossible too. Sometime during his piano lesson, hitting several off-key notes and earning the chastisement of his tutor, he had finally decided that he was going to turn up on her rooftop this evening and hope to find her.

As he approached the corner where her house and family's bakery were located he found himself delighted to see that the light was on in what he knew to be her room. 'She's in,' he thought to himself, clambering up to her roof and tapping on the trapdoor. He jumped over and took a seat in the beach chair she had up there, wondering how she would take his appearance.

"Cat, is that you?" he heard her call as she pushed open the trapdoor. Well, there wasn't going to be an element of surprise then.

"How did you know?" he asked, realizing she was in her pajamas. It must have been later than he had realized. "Oh, I didn't wake you did I? I mean, your light was on…"

"There is literally no-one else who would come to see me via the roof," she explained, "and no, I just wanted to have a comfort evening". She had reached back in and pulled up a blanket. It wasn't cold, but a blanket would aid a comfortable evening. "Would you like one?" she asked, as she noticed him assessing the covering.

"Sure," he replied. He didn't really need one since the suit kept him at a more or less comfortable temperature whatever the circumstance, but the idea of settling in for a while would be underscored by taking one. Plus it did look cozy.

"Here you go," she said, throwing another one to him, "I hope you don't mind pink." He gawked at it jokingly before unfolding it & draping it over the lower half of his body. "To what do I owe the pleasure?" she enquired of him, placing a cushion on the floor and taking a seat on it in front of him, her back leant against the small wall alongside the beach chair, blanket wrapped around her fully up to her chin.

"Where are my manners," he suddenly exclaimed, rising and gesturing towards the chair.

"Don't be silly," she declined, "I'm quite comfortable here". Taking a moment to consider this he returned to his seated position, arranging the blanket once more.

"Am I not allowed to visit you just because I feel like it, Princess?" he suggested, hand on heart and feigning hurt.

"Of course you would be, but you normally come to me for a reason," she countered, "and I know this is an important week for you."

"Fair enough," he admitted, "but I do enjoy your company."

"Well," she said, standing back up, "If you're going to be here for a while how does a hot chocolate sound?"

"Wonderful, but I really shouldn't…" he tried to say.

"Is the 'irresistible' Cat Noir worried about his figure?" Marinette teased, using air-quotes, oblivious to the boy underneath who had always lived under a somewhat regimented meal plan.

"Ha ha, no," he laughed, quickly disputing her, "in fact I'll take two!" he tried, worried he was overcompensating.

"That would be greedy," she informed him, "but I can use one of our bigger mugs." With that she disappeared back down the trapdoor as Cat considered the position he was in – wrapped in a blanket, sharing a rooftop hiding spot with a girl he was coming to consider a close friend. It all seemed a little more intimate than he had had in mind coming over, but he was warmed (even without the impending hot chocolate, he thought) that she was this comfortable with him. And that bought him back to thinking about what he wanted to talk to her about.

A few minutes later she returned with a couple of thermos flasks, his noticeably bigger than hers – her dad's perhaps, he wondered – and a couple of baguettes. Noting the puzzled look on Cat's face she explained, "look, it's not like I get to choose which baked goods haven't sold at the end of the day!" He laughed at that, and she went on, "it shouldn't surprise anyone that all the sweet foods get sold out first, so no pain au chocolat or macaroons today." He snickered some more and she glared at him, "do you want one or not?!"

"Yes, yes, thank you," he said, "it's purr-fect."

"I should have known you wouldn't last ten minutes without a pun," she teased him, "though you didn't make a single one at Notre Dame, so I take it you're feeling more positive today?"

She passed him one of the baguettes before handing him the oversized thermos. He wasn't sure he would actually drink _that much_ hot chocolate but he'd made his bed and now he had to lie in it. "Yes, I was cat-astrophically off my game the other day."

"Well don't think you have to make up for it now!" she chided him, playfully.

"That's a shame, I had some baking puns all bread-y to share with you," he joked.

"Please don't!" she implored him, placing her face in her palm, a smile poking through underneath.

"Ok, ok," he yielded, breaking the baguette in half and taking a bite. "This is good!"

"I know," she agreed, "but I'm sure you didn't come here so that you could compliment my parents' culinary skills. I take it you're still having trouble thinking about yours and Ladybug's decision?"

"You see right through me," he admitted. "But I don't mean to burden you, you did say you were wanting a comfort evening – are you still having your own heart issues?"

She was, of course, but there was no way for her to tell him that. Her heart and mind had been so occupied with thinking about it that she didn't really have the wherewithal to make something up to cover for herself either. "No, you don't have to worry about me," she lied, "I was just looking forward to a night off." She didn't like misleading him and the last conversation they had had _had_ affected her, but she hoped she could get through this one again without risking him figuring her out. "And you aren't burdening me, silly kitty." She took a sip of her hot chocolate and Cat suddenly remembered his own.

"Ouch!" he cried, burning his mouth on the still steaming drink, "how can you drink it this hot?"

"Aren't you supposed to be the super one who can handle things us mere mortals can't?" she said, poking fun at him once more.

"I'm beginning to wonder if you weren't one of the people Ladybug gave another miraculous too," he joked, not noticing the stiffness that her body suddenly developed underneath her blanket. She was glad only her head and arms were uncovered, but looked away with a fake laugh and hoped that he didn't notice anything else. "It's a really nice blend," he said, already shifting topics and saving her from having to come up with a way to try and rebut his comment.

"Yeah, Dupain-Cheng secret recipe," she claimed, now able to return to a relaxed position. This might be harder than she had thought.

"I, erm… thank you for talking with me the other day, Princess,", Cat shared, managing to take proper sips of the drink now.

"I don't think I did much talking, Cat," she claimed.

"Well you were an excellent listener, and what you had to say really helped," he encouraged her.

"Thank you, glad I could help," she told him, smiling sincerely.

"It's been a lot to process since then, but I found myself thinking about something else." He wanted to be careful not to give away what had come out of a private conversation between Ladybug and 'Adrien', since it wouldn't be fair to share anything about Ladybug without her permission. He thought about how to explain his recent reflections on what would be the realities of sharing identities. "What if the dynamic Ladybug and I have changes?"

That likelihood seemed obvious to Marinette, so the question left her unsure of what he was thinking. "You mean," she ventured, "you're worried things will be different if you know who each other is?"

"Yeah," he confirmed. "I realized that I'd always thought we'd go on as before, I'd just get to call her by her real name."

Cat was an eternal optimist she remembered, but it seemed a bit naïve to her. "You didn't think things would change?" she asked, her tone communicating that she considered that position unlikely.

"I guess I hadn't ever properly thought about it," he admitted. "I'm not sure why it would have to change, but what if it does?"

Marinette had to be careful not to betray an intimate understanding of these lines of thought. "Well, I can't see how they wouldn't change, Kitty. You'll suddenly learn a whole lot of new things about her, it could be like meeting a whole new person. Well, maybe a half new person."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. There _are_ things we don't know about each other, because we've intentionally not shared about certain areas to protect our identities. I suppose she'll learn a bunch of new things about me too."

"Exactly," she agreed. "Is that what you're worried about?"

"Well," he started, rolling the thermos flask back and forth between his palms, as though suddenly nervous, "what if she doesn't like those things about me?"

"Cat, haven't you always wanted to share identities?!" Marinette asked him firmly, realizing that she shouldn't really know that but thinking she could probably argue it as relatively common knowledge.

"Well, yeah." He agreed, sheepishly.

"Are you now telling me that your scared to do so?!" She hadn't meant for him to, but he suddenly felt like he was in some sort of interrogation. She was finally coming around to learning who each other was and now _he_ was the one who might prevent it?

"Alright, it doesn't sound good when you say it like that," he responded. "I've been doing a lot of reflecting is all."

"Well do you have some bad habits, or weird hobbies, or something else that you think she wouldn't like?" she probed, trying to understand where this was coming from.

"No!" he insisted. As best as he could tell all of his hobbies were high culture – even if they weren't hobbies he had exactly chosen for himself – and as for bad habits, anything remotely distasteful was disciplined out of him by now – he hadn't so much as bitten a finger nail in years.

"Then what are you worried about?" This conversation really was as much for her as it was for Cat. She understood her own misgivings about telling him who she was, but this sudden uncertainty in Cat Noir bothered her. She'd never known him to be apprehensive about telling Ladybug who he was and wondered what could be behind it.

"It's just…" he was crossing into a gray area again. Should he be telling her this? She'd handled everything they'd talked about so far really well so he could see little reason not to trust her, but he would still have to be careful. "I've met her – Ladybug – when I wasn't Cat Noir." He knew this was risky, that he had to make sure not to tell her too much.

"Oh." Marinette stopped. She hadn't known that, but she quickly reminded herself that her response had to be the response of not-Ladybug and pushed down all the questions that revelation had raised in her mind, trying to carry on 'naturally'. "And did something happen?"

"I can't really say without giving away too much about myself I'm afraid, but I guess I can say that I think I made her uncomfortable – I'm not sure she liked me." Sure, Ladybug had spoken kindly to him when she left last night, but the whole interaction had had an awkwardness to it. He didn't think there was any more he could explain without her picking up details that could give away who he was.

Marinette was aware of the clear possibility as well and told him, "you're right, don't say anything more, so I don't learn too much." She knew she had had to say that, but that extra bit of information just raised even more of her own questions – questions she couldn't just ask him without giving the game away. She had met a lot of people in her time as Ladybug and responses always varied – how many people had she felt uncomfortable around? How many people might have thought she felt that way when she actually didn't? In reality this information didn't do much to clue her in on who Cat Noir could be.

He looked at her. There wasn't really any more to say at the moment – what he had shared basically summed up all that had been on his mind.

"I'm not sure how to ask you more about this without finding out details, but maybe you misinterpreted her? Or maybe she was having a weird day?" She stopped coming up with possibilities there for fear of sounding like she was just making things up to help him feel better. These were, after all, the possibilities that she thought most likely, but she wouldn't be able to go into detail with him as to why. She couldn't think of many people who made her uncomfortable as Ladybug, save perhaps Gabriel Agreste, and he obviously wasn't him, so she didn't put any stock in the idea that Cat Noir could really turn out to be someone who made her uncomfortable.

"It's possible, I suppose," he agreed.

They sat in silence for a while, Marinette not really knowing what more she could say and hoping that the quiet was ok as space for him to think.

Just the suggestion had actually taken a huge weight off of him. The significance of what Ladybug had been processing could have just left her a bit off the night before, and for the first time since then he realized it was possible that the tension hadn't actually been anything to do with him. They had met a few times before last night, not that he would go into detail about how many times with Marinette, and he supposed their previous interactions had been varied too. Plus he had to be honest that if she was just an ordinary citizen when not Ladybug, then talking with a celebrity might throw her off balance as much as anyone else. He supposed he really could have misinterpreted her, just as much as she could have just been having an off night. Eventually, with a smile, he spoke up once more. "Thank you, Princess."

She nodded and after a moment asked, "did you really think you'd make her uncomfortable just by being you?"

"I really hadn't properly thought about any of this until now," he admitted again, "so I've not really known what to think. It's only now that it seems to be a real possibility that I find myself dealing with it for real. All the times I've imagined it with action figures I…" suddenly he stopped. How did he find himself talking so comfortably with her that he'd let something like that out?!

Marinette had spat out the drink she had just taken a sip of, coughing and then laughing at what Cat had let slip. She looked up at him and immediately started laughing again, him too embarrassed to say anything to try and take it back.

"You are never to repeat that, and I am never going to make reference to it again," he informed her, deeply red-faced, and tried to hide himself by taking a drink from the huge thermos.

"Sorry, Cat, that was just…" she started, still giggling to herself, "I don't know what to tell you… I didn't take you as the type to have action figures."

"I told you we're not talking about this," he tried. "I'm sure I can find something embarrassing about you that you'd rather I didn't bring up," he threatened playfully.

"Ok, ok," she complied. "But do you still feel you'd make her uncomfortable?"

"Well I suppose it's still possible" he shared, "but I think you've helped me see it's probably not what was going on. Thank you, Marinette, you've done it again."

"Done what?" she enquired.

"Eased this poor stray's heart," he said and winked.

She rolled her eyes at him, but she smiled.


	5. Part 5: LADRIEN

Cat Noir had just about finished his drink at that point in the conversation and seemed to be holding himself more lightly than when he had arrived. Having folded his blanket and placed it on the chair, he had taken Marinette's hand and kissed it, expressing his gratitude once more for the evening, before grabbing the remaining half of his baguette and vaulting off into the night.

It was another restless night for Marinette as she tried to come to terms with another bomb dropped by her partner. She hadn't expected him to have any reservations at all about sharing who they were. It was funny in a way, she thought, to be taking a week in which they were supposed to be thinking things over for themselves, but to be unwittingly talking things through together like this.

As Tikki and Marinette talked things through in the early hours of the morning she decided that she wanted to talk to Adrien again and considered his schedule for the next day. From what she could gather he had been due to have one of his usual photoshoots that day, but she was uncertain as to whether that would be going ahead in light of everything with Gabriel.

During the school day that followed she was able to listen in as Adrien told Nino he wouldn't be available after school due to the photoshoot going ahead. It seemed Adrien had been in discussions with the other executive members of his father's company who wanted him to carry on his modelling – something about reframing the public discourse to put Adrien in a better light – a "diamond in the rough" kind of story that would help shelter the company's reputation. When Adrien had turned and caught her listening in he had smiled at her as she turned red, embarrassed at having been caught eavesdropping but grateful that he didn't seem at all upset. She put her lack of care that lead to be being caught down to the lack of sleep she had been experiencing, not impressed that she was this tired and it was only Wednesday, and decided that, assuming no Cats turned up that evening, she would get an early night. It was nice, at least, not having any patrols to worry about.

Having made a mental note at the time that the shoot would be in the Jardin du Luxembourg, she left school and headed in that direction.

…

Adrien had been picked up before the last class of the day had finished, so she knew he would already be there, probably in the middle of the afternoon's shooting schedule. Ducking into a nearby alley way she called on Tikki to transform her and headed into the gardens, taking to the roof of the Palais du Luxembourg. The shoot, as it happened, was right next to the Palais, on the grass between it and the fountain. Her appearance drew the attention of most of those closest to the Palais, it being hard to hide in a bright red outfit like hers.

Adrien was one of the last people to notice her, wondering why the photographer and crew all seemed distracted until he spotted (pun definitely intended) her for himself. That happened just after she had found him (not that he was difficult to find, being the subject of the shoot) and she was already leaping through the air towards the setup in the middle of the square.

It was only as she approached him that she realized this might not have been the best timing. He had said that his company was, of course, wanting to distance themselves from Hawkmoth and focus on Adrien instead, so having such a clear physical reminder of Hawkmoth such as herself turn up in the middle of _this_ photoshoot might not have been very sensitive. But as she looked at the faces of those around her she didn't see any malice or annoyance. Perhaps having Adrien seen with her would actually aid in the publicity they needed. Maybe it _was_ the best timing.

Adrien had approached her as she had gotten closer, having become aware that he seemed to be her target, but unsure as to why she was here and why now. Perhaps the whole Gabriel-being-Hawkmoth thing had made him extra vigilant, but Adrien's bodyguard walked over quickly as well before Ladybug got too close. Adrien waved him off politely to let him know that everything was ok. "Hey," he said to Ladybug.

"Hi," she answered. "Sorry to turn up unannounced like this," she apologized, hands held together in front of her.

"Do you have a way to announce yourself in advance?" he queried with a smile.

She laughed, "Ha, no not really," and decided to try and joke with him. Placing one hand on her hip and scratching her chin with the other, she looked at him and continued, "though I'm not sure if it's less creepy me turning up in your bedroom or watching you while you strike handsome poses…" The laugh he let out was deep and real and she reveled in having been able to elicit such a response from him, hoping that all of their conversations could carry on like this. She suddenly wondered why they weren't being accosted by anyone and looking around saw that the bodyguard had set the photography crew to work creating a perimeter of people so that she and Adrien wouldn't be interrupted. She should make sure someone thanked him for that.

"Is there something I might help you with?" Adrien asked her, turning her attention back to him and to why she had come to see him.

"Well," she started, "I was wondering if we could carry on our conversation from the other day?" She hadn't known how he might respond – he had seemed happy to have her visit, but she could only hope that the awkwardness in their previous interaction was all on her and not due to him being in anyway uncomfortable. Cat's insights had left her thinking about misunderstandings – what if it went the other way? If someone was uncomfortable around her and _she_ didn't realize it?

"Yes, absolutely," he responded, taking away the apprehension she had felt and the fears that she had been concerned about – he seemed to be happy once again and there was no discernible discomfort in his response. "Do you have more questions or did you just want to talk a bit more about what you asked before?" His initiative in getting the conversation going helped her feel at ease and they moved to sit at one of the tables set up for the crew.

"Sort of both. It's still to do with helping someone see you as a person when they've only known you as a celebrity," she explained.

"Ok, so it's still to do with helping Cat Noir get to know you?" he clarified.

"Yes. It's just I have a more specific question this time, and I don't want to pry, so please feel free not to answer." That made him all the more curious as to what it was she could have to ask, but keenly aware of the turn the last conversation took he was hoping not to make this about him as much as possible.

"That's ok, though I really think you don't need to worry about him." He wanted to be reassuring but upon saying this out loud he realized he shouldn't try to get ahead of the conversation or he may be asked about what made him so certain, and then he'd be trapped.

Ladybug looked at him, curious as to what the conversation with Cat Adrien had reported having must have been like for him to speak with such confidence about her partner.

"Right, well, you don't have to tell me anything, but…" she glanced around quickly to see how far away everyone else was, "have you ever had someone say they love you while only knowing you as a celebrity?" Immediately Adrien understood the reason behind the question. Her head was turned down but her eyes looked up at him, as though halfway between embarrassment at having asked such a question and determination to find out what the answer might be.

"I, err," he started, trying to push down the implications of the question for Cat Noir to be able to think back to any situations in his life that might actually answer her question. This was difficult. "I guess I have lots of people say that sort of thing in crowds, and people in the industry who try and get close to you to advance their own agenda, but I guess that's not quite what you mean."

"Not exactly, no. Though I suppose there could be a parallel there?" she suggested. "I guess what I mean is, kind of like I was saying the other day, someone who thinks they love you when they know you as the celebrity, but then that love seems to fade or leave when they know the real you…"

"Well as far as romantic love goes I've never really dated anyone, so in that sense I can't help you too much. I've kind of had the opposite though." When he saw her raise an eye he elaborated, "I had a friend at collège who I grew up with so in a way she'd always known the real me, but then she only seemed interested in me because I'm a celebrity." Ladybug knew exactly who he was referring to but couldn't say anything so merely nodded in understanding. "But that doesn't really help here," he pointed out. There seemed to Adrien to be promise in the line of questioning Ladybug had started with though, and he figured he had an avenue to ask questions without suspicion. "So, if I have the right understanding of the situation, Cat Noir says he loves you, but you're worried he might stop loving you when he knows who you really are?"

Suddenly embarrassed at the personal nature of the conversation having heard it put so succinctly, her cheeks started to pink. "Not quite." She told him. "Cat Noir has feelings for me, but he knows I don't return the feelings. I'm actually worried that when he hears that from me as me, not just as Ladybug, that he'll be disappointed and it will change things between us."

That wasn't the answer Adrien had hoped for, but he could appreciate the care she was showing for him – well, the other him. It wasn't a completely devastating answer either, as he still held on to the belief that she could develop feelings for him in time, and learning who each other was would quite possibly open up more opportunities for that to happen. He wanted to reassure her as Cat, but right now he was Adrien, and knew he needed to answer her in a somewhat more detached way. "It sounds like your concern is to do with his feelings for you, or rather, that you don't return those feelings, and that knowing who each other is will intensify that difference between you. I don't think that's really to do with your celebrity status at all."

She thought over what he was saying and supposed he was right. The downside of that would be that she had now lost her excuse to use him as her sounding board. "I guess that makes sense," she agreed. "Thank you."

"No problem," he smiled. "But," he dared to ask, "how do you know _your_ feelings for him won't change after you find out who each other is?"

She looked at him, debating whether to answer that question, given who he was. "Well," she offered," I have feelings for someone else."

Adrien had heard this before, but needed to respond as though he hadn't. "Oh, I see," he tried. "So, if you learn who each other is then Cat Noir will likely learn who this other guy is," he expounded, realizing the implications of that for himself as Ladybug was considering the same. "I guess that _could_ get complicated," he admitted. Neither of them knew what would happen if Cat Noir came face to face with the object of Ladybug's affections. It was hard to imagine a scenario in which that didn't have an impact on their partnership. 'Be more detached' he told himself. "But if Cat really cares about you then he'll want you to be happy. He should support you in this." He was telling himself this as much as he was telling her. "And I think he would," he offered, using all his might to push down the emotional processing he was going to have to go through to deal with that line of thinking.

Ladybug wasn't sure what to think. Adrien had brought some clarity to what she was finding difficult about it all, but it still all ended in uncertainty. How _would_ Cat react to learning it? Would it lead to a falling out whereby she was constantly having to defend herself for liking someone else, or would it actually be ok, with Cat being supportive of her despite the conflict of interest? She was impressed by Adrien's assessment of Cat though, and thought she owed it to him to believe the best of her partner as well, after all he had always been there for her. "Do you think you'd be able to do that for someone you cared about?" she posed to him. How was she to know what she was asking him? That this was the very Cat she was wondering about?

He swallowed, hoping she didn't notice, to keep his feelings in check and try and answer as abstractly as possible. "I'd want what's best for you," he said, quickly correcting, "for whoever that person might be."

She sensed some tension there and realized she may be crossing a line with personal questions. "Thank you Adrien, this has been really helpful to me."

"Yeah," he replied, his body relaxing to be able to move on from thinking about this, "no problem."

"I better let you get back to work," she decided out loud, standing up. That hint of tension made her feel a risk of making things uncomfortable if she stayed any longer, and since this conversation had been really beneficial she thought it would be good to leave whilst everything was positive. Besides, what they had discussed was probably enough for her to think on. "See you around?"

"Ok, sure, that would be nice," he said, rising with her. The invitation in his voice made her regret her decision to leave – perhaps it would have been ok to stay longer after all. But she thought it best not to act indecisive and committed to going. But she'd test the comfort he had around her one more time as she did.

"Bye, Handsome Boy," she called and watched him smile at her as she left the gardens the way she had come in, smiling to herself as well.


	6. Part 6: MARICHAT

Adrien really struggled to keep the focus he needed for the remainder of the shoot. Several shots had to be retaken as his gaze was off, or he couldn't hold his position. What had once been an easy decision – whether to reveal identities – had become more complicated than he had ever expected.

He took the evening off and spent his Thursday morning at home to process. Excuses could be made for the lycée and he needed to be able to really stop and focus on the magnitude of this decision – something he hadn't counted on last weekend. His bodyguard seemed to appreciate that he needed some space after his encounter with Ladybug, despite not knowing what they had talked about, and made the necessary arrangements, including bringing his lunch to him in his room.

Adrien was acutely aware that tomorrow would be the day he met up with Ladybug for what was quite possibly the last time ever that he would be Cat Noir. For one last time he decided that he would need to see his Princess, and the idea that it could be the last time ever for that as well moved him more than he would have expected last weekend as well. He realized school was close to being finished and suited up, launching into the air with his baton.

…

Marinette had missed Adrien that day, her life was about to change dramatically and she really wanted the constancy of his presence in front of her to remain – even if they were close to finishing lycée and the changes that that meant too. Nino had told Alya that Adrien was staying at home that day, dealing with some 'sort of process?' (not quite what Adrien had explained, but never mind).

She left the school building the most distracted she had ever been in her life – her own impending change in identity, the revelations from her conversations with Cat, the absence of Adrien – and didn't notice a black clad figure leap off of the school roof.

"Princess," he said simply, grabbing her and leaping back into the air. The shock knocked the air out of her lungs so she couldn't even scream at the surprise. Back on the roof he put her down and carried on as if the conversation hadn't been interrupted by a vault into the sky, "I was hoping you might-"

"CAT!" she interrupted. "You can't do that! My gosh! That was terrifying!"

He stood very still, a look of fear on his face. "I-I'm…" he tried. "Sorry." He hadn't meant to scare her – the defeat of Hawkmoth meant there should be no fear of akuma attacks any more, but he supposed it had been a bit rash to just grab her like that.

"It's ok," she reassured him, "just give a girl some warning next time. How was I supposed to know you weren't someone trying to hurt me?"

"I'm… your right," he admitted, looking down at his feet, hand scratching the back of his neck. "Sorry, I wasn't thinking. I just…"

"Everyone at school is going to be asking me about this for weeks," she continued, more to herself than him. 'Was that what really concerned her about it?' he wondered – not really able to tell if he should take that to mean she didn't like being seen with him, or if she was just embarrassed to receive that kind of attention.

"Won't happen again," he said with a very serious look on his face as he turned and looked at the school grounds below and the people staring up trying to see them.

Marinette suddenly realized the truth in that statement and her heart shifted from the concern she had for herself to the concern she knew she should have, and did have, for Cat Noir. "Right, I suppose not," she acknowledged, and the change in the tone of her voice told him she would listen again.

"Can I take you somewhere other than here?" he enquired. "Would that make answering people's questions easier, or worse?" It was a genuine question and she knew him well enough to know that it wasn't in any way meant as a snide remark.

"We can go somewhere else if you'd like, I don't think it will make a difference." She wandered back over to him, and he smiled, the willingness to go with him in that simple movement reinforcing the usual mood present between them when they interacted. He lifted her into his arms and headed north. "Where are you wanting to go today?" she asked him, not sure exactly what direction he was taking her in.

"Well, since this is probably the last time we'll get to do something like this I want to take you somewhere nice with a good view. And no, we're not going to the Eiffel Tower." She had figured out that much since she knew which direction to go from the school to get there. As he jumped across streets with her she came to notice a familiar funicular train.

"Montmartre?" she asked him.

"La Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, to be precise," he informed her, taking the last few bounds to get up the hill. This church was a bit more difficult to walk around on top of as all the roofs sloped in one direction of another, but he came down in the center, a foot on the corresponding slopes of each side of the roof. He placed her down with him, close enough to the center of the church roof so as not to be easily seen by the crowds lining up in front, since it remained open into the night.

"I do get to see things from interesting spots with you don't I," she said looking around and taking in the landscape in front of her.

"Only the best for a Princess," he joked, sitting down and leaning against the central dome of the Basilica. "Besides, the view isn't exactly as interesting from inside the crypt…"

"Ha," she laughed. "See, you don't need puns to be funny, Cat." She sat down so that her legs were both on one side of the roof, careful to keep her center of gravity in the middle so as not to slide down (though she had every confidence Cat would catch her if anything went wrong).

"That reminds me!" He nearly shouted. "I thought as a baker's daughter you'd like to be up here so you could enjoy the pain-au-rama!" he stretched his arms out over the scene in front of them, a huge, beaming smile on his face, clearly very satisfied with his latest play on words.

She did her best to suppress her laughter, but that one had actually been worthy of this baker's daughter. It burst out of her and she had to cover her mouth to try and stifle it. Still giggling, she looked up at him, "goodness, Cat, how do you come up with these?!"

"See, I knew you always loved the puns," he asserted.

"I wouldn't go that far, but I have to hand that one to you." He was thrilled to have evoked such a response from her and continued to look proud of himself. "Please tell me that you haven't brought me here to try and get through as many puns as possible before the weekend?" She brought him back to reality despite making a joke.

"I actually hadn't considered that," he responded, but before she could protest any further he carried on. "But no, I haven't." She closed her mouth back up, no longer needing to argue against torture by puns, and waited for him to explain. "Can I ask you something?"

"That's why we're here, I suppose," she told him, smiling as a way of giving her consent.

"Do you have feelings for anyone?" It was a more brunt question than she was anticipating. She and Cat had grown closer this week but that still seemed like quite a personal topic. Sensing her hesitancy he went to withdraw his query, "Sorry, you don't need to answer that."

Hearing his retraction Marinette found herself remembering saying something similar to Adrien after trying to talk with him, and ultimately how helpful him being willing to share with her had been. She really wanted to help her partner process through this whole dilemma just as Adrien had been able to help her, and so decided to be honest with him. The only real hesitancy she had was that he might think she had feelings for him.

"No, it's ok, I just wasn't expecting that to be your question." She pulled her legs closer to make her more comfortable, physically or emotionally she wasn't sure, and did her best to answer his request clearly. "Yes, I have feelings for someone. But don't go getting any ideas, it isn't you."

He laughed, "the thought hadn't crossed my mind!" he told her. It honestly hadn't, he'd been so focused on his infatuation with Ladybug that he had never really stopped to consider what it would be like if someone else had feelings for him. He figured he'd know what it would be like to be in Ladybug's shoes if that ever were the case, and wondered how he would have felt if he had inadvertently found out Marinette _did_ harbor feelings for him. Another hypothetical situation, but one he didn't see the use in dwelling on given how much he actually did have to try and figure out before tomorrow afternoon. "I won't ask you who, either."

"So why do you ask, if you don't actually want to know about them?" she probed.

"I mean I can ask, if you'd like me to?" Cat said as a non-answer, remembering that she had alluded to having heart issues of her own to work through. He suddenly questioned whether her 'comfort evening' the other night wasn't more than that after all. He had already told her he'd be willing to listen if she wanted to talk things through and even though he knew he was running out of time he wasn't going to break such a promise.

"No, don't worry, another issue for another day, perhaps," she explained, wondering what it would be like to share such information with Cat. "You do know him though," she told him.

Adrien wondered how she knew who he did and didn't know, but figured it must be someone who she'd been with some time when he'd seen her before. They had a big enough class to keep him guessing just on those, let alone anyone that she might know outside of school. He'd noticed she seemed to get on well with Juleka's brother too, but he couldn't reveal such knowledge to her because he hadn't noticed it while he was Cat Noir. "Do I now?" he answered, stressing the intrigue he felt.

"Seriously, Cat, why did you ask me if you weren't planning to ask me who it was?" Asking a question a second time was a good way to hint at moving on from a topic and he took the cue.

"Well it leads in to another question, possibly a harder one."

"Ok…?" she looked at him, eye brows raised to show her continuing lack of understanding.

"What would you do if you found out he didn't return your feelings, and actually liked someone else."

Yep, that was a harder question. Marinette knew why he was asking it, of course, but having to think about it as though it were her situation instead painted it in a different light. She realized that she had never truly tried to put herself in Cat's shoes, and how that must feel. She took a deep breath and let it back out slowly, allowing herself to consider the possibility of that happening. How would she feel? And more importantly, at least for answering Cat's question, what would she do? "I, um, I'm not sure," she said honestly. "Let me think about it".

Cat Noir nodded and leaned back against the tower again, looking up into the sky and allowing her the time she needed. When he did glance at her he could see a couple of wet spots on her cheeks and that, although her attention was elsewhere and she didn't notice him observing her, her face was going through a number of emotions. He immediately felt guilty for putting her through such an ordeal, knowing that he had had hours thinking it through while she was getting only minutes.

Marinette was emotionally sensitive this week to the point that this had made her feel things more quickly than she expected. Actually thinking through Adrien saying to her the things she had said to Cat made her understand the weight he must have been carrying, and she had never been able to appreciate that before. She suddenly found a whole new type of respect for him knowing that he had continued faithfully at her side in spite of how hard that rejection must have been. As she considered further what it would be like to learn Adrien actually had feelings for someone else, she felt guilty for having placed that on Cat for so long. She could appreciate now the undying hope he clung on to that she might develop feelings for him some day, because she knew she wouldn't be able to let go of that same kind of hope about Adrien.

Leaning forward slowly and placing a hand on her shoulder, he apologized. "I'm sorry, Princess, I didn't mean to upset you."

She dabbed at her cheeks and eyes with her sleeve and smiled at him. "No, it's ok. I'm not upset." The unbelieving look he gave her made her carry on. "It's probably good that I consider the possibility, and doing so has meant I think I can grasp some of what keeps you going at Ladybug's side." As she said it she suddenly recognized that that might reveal a knowledge she shouldn't have and wondered if she'd said too much.

"What do you mean?" Cat asked her, and her worry worsened.

Trying to cover her tracks she explained, "well it's no secret that you like Ladybug, but it doesn't seem like she feels the same for you." That much was public knowledge, based on things that had been said by the two of them on television and in interviews. "I'm guessing Ladybug told you she has feelings for someone else?" Cat's initial questions made this an obvious conclusion to come to, so she hoped he shouldn't be suspicious. "It's really good of you to be so supportive of her if this is what's been going on in your heart," she finished, feeling it for herself more truly than ever.

"Quite the little detective," he offered, "but isn't your Ladyblog friend the one who wants to be a journalist?" he joked. She looked at him in the way someone would look over the top of their glasses, as a wordless complaint at the condescension. "Thank you for your kind words, Princess," He said, shifting to a serious gratitude. "You're basically right though. So what would you do if you found that out about Mr. Whoever-he-is?"

"Cry for a long time," she answered. "But I guess I'd have to accept it. I want what's best for him, and if that isn't me I guess I'd have to accept that," she said and sighed, letting a judder out of her body, "otherwise I wouldn't be able to continue to have at least a friendship with him." She had more things to dwell on now, but knew she'd have to save thinking through her own problems for a little while longer.

"And if you knew who the other person was? Do you think you could handle seeing them together?" He was close to hearing all the answers he wanted to hear, hoping that they would help him process what would happen after the masks were off – assuming that happened.

"Cat, I don't know," she confessed. "That sounds horrible, to be honest, I don't think I'd want to be around it." A physical reminder like that would not be easily bearable she knew. "So how would a friendship continue?" she wondered aloud to herself, her eyes welling up a little again, before recognizing that Cat had heard her say it.

He always appreciated her honesty, but that wasn't what he was hoping to hear. His apprehension about what would happen tomorrow had risen. If Ladybug didn't want to reveal her identity then he might never see her again, but if they did tell each other who they were then would he really be able to spend time with her if she was in the arms of someone else? He wasn't sure he could handle either possibility. Oh how he wished it would be as simple as he had always imagined it being.

Marinette continued, though Cat had thought she'd reached the end. "I guess I'd learn to push through it, I couldn't let him out of my life, so I'd have to support him in it, no matter what it meant for me. I suppose our friendship would change, but he'd still be there at least, and I don't want to lose him no matter what."

That was a bit more positive, and hope revived in Cat's heart. It wasn't the bright shining happiness he dreamed of but it wasn't the worst possible thing it could be either. "I suppose you're right," he decided. "Thank you, Marinette."

"You're welcome Cat," she responded, "and thank you for talking to me about it, you've helped me too," she let him know. It lifted his spirit even further to know that this hadn't all been one-sided.

"Princess," he mused, "can we still meet up once I'm not Cat Noir?"

"What?" she asked him, surprised by the request.

"I've really enjoyed hanging out with you, and you've been an amazing friend," he informed her, "and it would be nice to keep doing this every so often. And I promise I won't grab you and jump on top of a building again!" She laughed at him. "In truth though, I don't really fancy never seeing you again either." It wasn't quite true, knowing he'd see her as Adrien, but it wouldn't be the same.

"Don't you have to keep your identity secret still, in case Paris does ever need you again?" she queried, trying to make sure her tone was a question and not a reminder. She knew, of course, that if he told Ladybug his identity then he would already have told her, but he didn't know that so she had to play along.

"Obviously if we don't end up sharing identities with each other then I guess we don't share them with anyone, and if we do share them then in general, yes we'll still keep them hidden. But if we do share then I reckon I'm allowed one exception," he reasoned. "I'll need to clear it with Ladybug of course, but she knows you and I think she trusts you too, so I reckon I can convince her it would be ok. I mean we know you're not Hawkmoth now…" he grinned.

"As if you ever thought I was," she said, backhanding him in the shin.

"Well?" he requested.

"Sure, but only if I get to come to _your_ place in future, I don't want you eating through all the bakery's goods", she teased him in return.


	7. Part 7: LADRIEN

_**Notes:**_ _Surprise! Two chapters in one day - since the goings on in them happen in the same day! Enjoy!_

* * *

Cat Noir had returned her to the park next to her house as the sun was setting, pointing out that she'd still have to wait to learn who he was – Ladybug would get that privilege first, or not, it remained to be seen. And then he was gone once more.

Marinette stayed in the park for a while, talking with Tikki about the conversation she had just come from. Tikki had been able to hear most of it of course, but it wasn't the same as being a part of it. As she recounted Cat Noir not wanting this to be the last time she saw him she suddenly recognized that unless she saw Adrien another time she would never be able to talk with him again about anything related to being Ladybug. She _had_ to see him. Running into the house, hugging her parents, and grabbing some croissants, she headed out of the door again and off towards where she knew Adrien's evening class would be. He wasn't at school today, but perhaps he would be at fencing.

…

As it happened, after their conversation Adrien had decided that some fight-based activity might help him let off steam, what with their being no akumas to fight any more, and so had returned home (as if he'd never left the house) and had his bodyguard take him to the night class for fencing. It was on his way back out of the class, walking down towards the car, that he was suddenly lifted off of the ground and into the air by a red blur. The Gorilla would have been furious to have lost his charge, but he knew of only one person who could do something like that and who wore those colors, and he trusted her.

Adrien caught on immediately to what was happening and could now appreciate Marinette's reaction to the way he had grabbed her earlier. Funny that Ladybug made the same mistake he had as Cat Noir, but Adrien wasn't going to berate her for it. He was just happy to be with her again.

Ladybug had herself recognized that she was doing what she had told Cat Noir off for, but didn't want to wait until he would be back in his room, nor try and talk with a bunch of people around again. They were close to Notre Dame and she remembered the first conversation there with Cat Noir, deciding that it did offer an appropriate degree of privacy. She brought them down onto the top of the southern tower this time and Adrien found the symmetry amusing – he'd started his week of deep thought at the Cathedral and it looked like it would more or less close here too, in almost exactly the same position.

"I really should have given you my number so you could announce your intentions this time," Adrien kidded her.

"Sorry," she apologized, trying not to read too much into the fact that Adrien had basically just offered her his phone number. "I hope you're ok with being here…"

"Of course," he reassured her, "I love the view from up here." Immediately he knew he should _not_ have said that and watched as she looked at him with utter surprise. "Err, what I mean, is, err…" 'crap' he thought, as he tried to recover, "not here exactly… just on top of the Cathedral in general… they let VIPs up here, and, err… I've been here before with my father, I mean my mother, I mean both of them… when she was around." He looked at her, hoping she would buy the story he had just made up on the spot. Her expression returned to normal and he subtly breathed a sigh of relief. "I haven't been here in a long time," he added, hoping to cement the believability of the story, "thank you for bringing me here."

She smiled at him, pleased to have been able to do something nice for him, albeit unintentionally. "My pleasure," she said, adding, "I'll try not to scare you in the process next time."

He returned the smile, not sure how to make small talk after that train wreck. "Have you been thinking more about how you'd deal with Cat Noir knowing your identity and the guy you like, then?" he asked her, deciding that diving straight into the deep end was the simplest way forward.

"Yeah," she confirmed, fidgeting with her yo-yo, "another friend was helping me try and think about it a bit more too – get a different perspective." Adrien was glad she had someone else she could talk to but wondered how many people she was meeting up with this like.

"That's good," he encouraged her, "do you have a lot of people you can talk about this kind of thing with?"

"No, not really," she revealed. "Actually they didn't know they were talking to me." His confusion showed she needed to give some more explanation. "It's someone who knows me outside of the mask, so it wasn't a conversation about it directly. They have no idea I'm Ladybug." That made more sense to him, but sounded lonelier. "You're really the only person I've been able to talk to about this directly," she confided in him.

Adrien was surprised to learn that she had singled him out like that. He felt honored and told her as much. "What about the guy you like?" he asked and watched her blush. She hadn't anticipated him asking her about that and couldn't really explain why she 'wasn't talking with him' when she was.

"Let's not talk about that right now," she deflected, turning to look down the street running parallel with the front of the cathedral.

"Ok," he agreed, not wanting to pry, however curious he was to find out the answer. "Have your thoughts changed at all then?"

"Well, I think I'm able to appreciate the position Cat Noir is in a lot more." She was looking nowhere in particular now as she gathered her thoughts. "I'm not sure how it would go down, him learning all of those things, but I think I'm better prepared to try and talk with him about it in a more sensitive way now, if we do share identities with each other." Little did she know she was talking about it with him now. Adrien was grateful that she was being so considerate with Cat Noir's, his, feelings, but he still hoped things could change.

"That's good," he reassured her. "So what do you still have to think on?"

"I guess just my first concern, I want to put it to rest," she explained.

"What was your first concern?" he asked, thinking he knew the answer, even though in her eyes he shouldn't.

"That sharing identities could come back to hurt us if another supervillain ever surfaced. That's why we're taking time thinking about this. The complications that could come from sharing identities is really secondary to whether we should even share them at all. Knowing who each other is could impact any future work we might have to do together."

"So why don't you just keep them secret from each other?" he asked, not because he wanted that, but because it's the kind of question he expected someone who didn't know the things he knew would be likely to ask.

"Well if we aren't ever needed then that would mean we wouldn't actually ever see each other again," she informed him, giving him some time to understand it, not knowing he was already well aware. "I know that that option seems devastating to Cat, and to be honest, whatever worries I have, the idea of never seeing Cat again makes me really sad too."

Adrien had to steady himself to hear that. Ladybug wasn't often upfront with him as Cat Noir about what she felt about him, despite how much he wore his own affection on his sleeve. "Which is why you were telling me before that you'd just be sharing your identity with him, and why we've talked about what we've talked about up until now?"

"Yes," she agreed.

"So, if I'm understanding your dilemma correctly," he started, "if you don't tell him who you are you might never see him again, but if you tell him who you are that could _maybe_ cause a _possible_ problem in some future _hypothetical_ battle that may _never_ happen?" He knew he was biasing his summary in his favor a bit, but it did seem like the most realistic way of talking about it to him.

She looked at him for a while as she replayed his description of her predicament in her mind. His way of putting it was very different than how she had been thinking about it. It almost made it sound like her concerns were quite silly, though she didn't believe Adrien to be the kind of person that would imply such a character assessment. This boy really did seem to be on Cat Noir's team. "If you put it like that then yes, I suppose not telling him would look like a somewhat paranoid choice."

Adrien looked back at her, not wanting to say anything that might inadvertently cause offence. He wasn't meaning to suggest she was foolish for having the concerns she had.

"The thing is," she went on, "who's to say what the likelihood of us being needed again is? There's really no answer to that." She had him there, it was only paranoid if the possibility was very low, but no one could say what the possibility was.

"Yeah, that's fair I suppose," he accepted. He realized stating his case in a biased way hadn't been right and thought for how to better explain himself. "I guess it just looks to me like you have to choose between a certainty and a possibility."

"In what way?" she asked him to elaborate.

"Well, if you don't reveal yourselves and nothing happens, then you'll never see each other again. That's the certainty side." He explained. "But if you do reveal yourselves and something happens, it's only a possibility that knowing who each other is would be a problem, not a certainty that it would be. So you have to decide between a definite undesirable situation on one hand or a possibly undesirable situation on the other." He thought he had done better at stating his case this time, less bias, and less unclear probabilities.

Ladybug took some time to think over that again. "You know that makes sense. You're a smart boy too, you know."

"I'd like to say I'm more than just a pretty face, but I don't want to be egotistical about my looks – what did you call me as you left yesterday?" he joked.

Ladybug wanted to issue some rebuke to his seemingly inflated self-assurance, but the reminder had reddened her cheeks. She narrowed her eyes and complied, "Handsome Boy," she confirmed. "Don't get a big head though."

"Never," he responded.

"That does help in thinking about how to decide which to choose though. Thank you, Adrien."

"Glad to be of assistance, My La… err… Ladybug," he caught himself before he could give too much away.

"And you have," she verified, not noticing the near slip-up he had made. "In fact, I wanted to ask you one more thing."

"And what's that?" he enquired.

"Well," and she suddenly became very self-conscious. "I, um, have found it really helpful to be able to talk to you like this, and so was, um, wondering if you'd like to keep having little get-togethers like this in the future?"

"Like this?" he questioned.

"Well, not like this, on top of buildings or anything, I just mean some more time hanging out. It would be lovely to get to know you more." She was doing her best to channel her Ladybug confidence and push down her Marinette tendencies with regards to talking to him.

"But if you're giving up being Ladybug doesn't that mean," he reasoned aloud, "that you'd be telling me who you really are?" It would be one thing for her to learn that Cat Noir was Adrien all along, but for her to willingly want to reveal herself to Adrien directly was mind-blowing to him. "Even though," he added, since her revealing things this way around should raise such a question, "I'm the son of your nemesis?"

She really hadn't been thinking about him in those terms and suddenly realized how strange the request must be in light of it. But she'd made the offer and really didn't intend to retract it. She shifted uncomfortably where she stood, trying to justify her offer, "I believe you've proven yourself trustworthy, and not connected to your dad's activities at all, and it seems Cat Noir has made a strong connection with you as well." She was not quite on the mark with that last point but he wasn't going to try and explain that to her. "I think he'd let me tell one other person," she explained, knowing full well that he intended to ask the same thing of her already.

"I'd love to," Adrien quickly assured her.

She let out a breath she hadn't been aware she'd been holding and smiled. For a moment Adrien thought he was going to find out who she was a day early, but then felt conflicted about what it would mean if she did reveal herself to him first instead of Cat Noir. "Great," she told him, "you'll have to wait to find out who I am, though, as Cat Noir deserves to know first."

That answered that, though Adrien wasn't sure how to take that explanation – did it mean that she valued Cat more and wanted him to know first, or she felt duty-bound to tell him first even though she'd rather tell Adrien. Either way he wasn't going to learn who she was right now.

"I guess I'll see you in a few days or something," she informed him, "I'll let you know it's me when I see you." He was fine with that, since he knew that he should already know by then. "Unless Cat & I decide against telling anyone including each other, then I don't know what will happen," she admitted. The lack of clarity in that answer let him hope that she had already made the decision that they would be sharing identities.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Adrien pointed out to her. "How am I getting down from here?"

Ladybug went red again. "Oops, I suppose I shouldn't leave you here. Where should I take you?"

"Just down to the ground should be fine, I'll have my bodyguard pick me up." He told her, not wanting to make her go out of her way to get him somewhere, with the possibility of more time together in the future on the horizon.

She picked him up and jumped off of the tower, the yo-yo attaching to a gargoyle to slow their descent.

"See you then, Adrien," she said.

"Don't you mean, see you then, Smart, Handsome Boy," he teased.

She opened her mouth to say something in response but closed it and just glared at him. "Goodbye Mr. Agreste," she closed and swung off into the evening.


	8. Part 8: ADRINETTE

Friday morning seemed to drag on for each of them, knowing the significance of what their meeting that evening would be. Classes, even the classes they typically found most interesting, would alternate between dragging on as they tried to focus on the subject matter and being zoned out as their attention was focused so intensely elsewhere. They even noticed something was up with each other due to both of them being called out at different points by the teacher in the classes that they shared.

At lunch time Adrien approached Marinette in the cafeteria. "Hey girls," he greeted, Marinette and Alya being sat together as they ate their lunch.

"Oh hey, Aaaadrien!" Alya emphasized with a jab to Marinette's side so that she'd actually look up from her plate and make eye contact with him and Nino.

"I was hoping I could chat to Marinette for a bit if that's ok with you Alya," Adrien explained. "Would you be ok having a lunch date with Nino today?" he suggested pointedly.

"Dude," Nino jokingly objected, "kicking us out like that when we've only just gotten here, that's no fair!" But he smiled and offered Alya his arm as she rose from the table.

"Have fun you two," Alya winked at Marinette, who shifted under the table, finally giving a goofy grin to Adrien as he sat down. "Come on, darling," she addressed Nino, "we're not wanted here," she joked dramatically as they wandered to the other side of the cafeteria finding a table where they could still watch their friends.

Noticing that they were still being watched but knowing that they couldn't be heard, Adrien turned to Marinette. "How are you today Marinette?" he asked politely.

"Uh, I'm, um, doing ok, thank you Adrien," she responded nervously. 'What are you doing?!' she asked herself, 'you kept it together talking to him as Ladybug, just pretend you're doing that now!'

"I hope you don't mind me saying, but you seem pretty distracted today, and I think I know why," he told her.

Marinette's heart skipped a beat. How could he know?! How had he figured her out?! Had she not been careful enough interacting with him the last few days? What was it she had done that had revealed her? She thought she had been careful. Perhaps he was realizing her awkwardness around him was similar when she was Ladybug and when she was Marinette.

She realized she had been staring at him, not saying anything and needed to speak up. "What are you talking about?" she asked. 'Great,' she thought, 'that didn't sound like a typical deflection at all.'

"I heard Cat Noir sort of kidnapped you yesterday, didn't he?" Adrien elaborated, having himself been thinking about the foolishness of the start of _that_ interaction in light of experiencing it from the other side himself.

Marinette breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't know. She regained her composure, doing her best to channel her Ladybug confidence. "Well I wouldn't say kidnapped, but I did tell him off for grabbing me like that," she informed him. "Word did get around huh…?"

"Yeah, a number of people saw it happen," Adrien covered, having not actually spoken about it with anyone else at the school.

"And I heard you had a visit from Ladybug the other day?" Marinette enquired, knowing that he had had several visits, but figuring only one of them would probably have become public knowledge.

"Yeah," he confirmed, specifically not alluding to the other visits. Marinette appreciated the discretion he showed, as she herself was doing by not mentioning the other visits she'd had with Cat Noir.

"Is that what you wanted to talk about, the fact that we've both gotten to see our city's superheroes this week?" she asked him, wondering what this conversation was supposed to be about.

"Yeah, sort of," he started. "I wanted to ask about what you talked about – I figure it's probably somewhat personal so you don't have to share, but I'm thinking we were probably all discussing the same thing." Adrien, of course, knew that they were discussing the same things.

Marinette did too, but she knew she was supposed to be ignorant of Adrien's conversations with Ladybug as Adrien knew he was supposed to be ignorant of what Marinette had discussed with Cat Noir. "Why are you asking?" she queried him, not really knowing if she should reveal something that Cat Noir had shared with her in confidence, and not sure how she felt about Adrien seeming to be ok with sharing what Ladybug had told him.

"I'm not sure if I helped Ladybug – she had some questions that I won't get into in detail, but I'm hoping I've been helpful in general." Well, he wasn't going to reveal intimate details, so that was good, perhaps it was ok to talk about this situation in general. Marinette recognized the opportunity to have a personal connection with Adrien here, and weighing up everything together decided that he would be ok to talk with in generalities.

"You mean," Marinette started, looking around to check no one was listening and trying to think about how to phrase questions in such a way that they would reflect what she had discussed with Cat Noir, but not what she had discussed as Ladybug, "that they might not be around much anymore?" That seemed non-detailed enough that it didn't reveal them stepping away completely whilst leaving some opening for further conversation.

"Yeah," he agreed, similarly checking for any potential eavesdroppers, "that unless there's a strong need to come back, they'll stop being them. I mean the superhero thems." Yep, Cat Noir had said that, and she had told Adrien that. "Based on your distractedness today I'm guessing you've been thinking about them too?"

'True,' she thought to herself, 'except I'm distracted because it's me'. But Adrien had given her the excuse she needed to explain her behavior today. It also illuminated why he had been acting strangely. "Yeah, you could say that. I didn't realize you were distracted for that too, I had thought it was probably because of your da…" she suddenly stopped, very conscious of the fact that that must still be a painful topic and not sure she would be allowed to ask about it.

"It's ok," he reassured her, noticing her hesitation, "you can say it."

"Your dad," she finished. "Can I ask? How are you doing with that?"

"Of course you can, Mari, you're one of my best friends." She nearly fainted to be told that. "It's been a shock for sure, and there's still so much to figure out because of it, but I'm doing ok. Having this to think about has actually been taking more of my time," he told her, suddenly realizing that it probably didn't sound right that he was more concerned about people who should be relative strangers to him than with what was going on with his own family. "I mean, it's been a good distraction," that didn't sound much better, he figured, as that seemed like avoidance. "I mean, uh, it's all just a lot to deal with, you know?"

"Yeah," she nodded, putting all of his stumbling down to this whole thing with Gabriel being a lot to handle. "So your distraction today is because of Ladybug?" she asked, secretly pleased with the attention that meant she was getting from him, even if it was indirect. How different things would be after tomorrow, when she hoped to tell Adrien it was her.

"Yeah," he confirmed, suddenly embarrassed as he realized he was talking to another girl about his crush, even if he wasn't telling her that. 'Am I being insensitive to Marinette?' he wondered.

"What did you want to ask me?" she carried on, still trying to determine why he was talking to her about it in the first place.

"Well," Adrien said, returning to the main conversation, "what do you think they should do?" he asked. Noting the expression on her face that said he needed to clarify his question (she had gotten quite good about feigning confusion about things she really knew the answer to), he added "about sharing their identities with each other?"

"Ladybug shared that part with you too?" she asked for the sake of appearances.

"Yeah. I'd always just assumed they always knew who each other was," he lied, strengthening the case for his ignorance. "So I didn't really understand why there was a question about it at first, I just figured they'd share for sure." That sounded like a good enough explanation to him for him to be able talk from a place of his real feelings as Cat Noir without revealing that to be who he was.

"Yeah," she pretended to agree, "imagine working all this time with someone and not knowing who they are!" Not that that was hard for her to imagine at all, nor for Adrien, who nodded in agreement.

"I know, and yet they seem so close," he observed. "So what do you think? Shouldn't they just share?"

"I guess," she explained. "Though it sounds a little more complicated than that, from what Cat told me at least."

"Yeah, I know," he concurred, not willing to reveal the conversation about 'the other guy' – that _would_ be breaking a trust. He hoped Ladybug had been able to reflect on weighing up the choices they had talked about last night and that she would come down on the side of sharing. How could he know she was in front of him? "But I still think they should share, all things considered. Was I wrong to try and recommend that?"

"Why would that be wrong?" she asked him.

"I don't know," he answered truthfully, looking down at the table. "I guess, just, with everything that happened with my father I want to try and make sure I do something that really helps them, to sort of make up for it, even if only in a very small way. Is that silly?" Here was another example of the kind of person that Adrien was, the kind of thing that drew Marinette to him. He was so thoughtful, so selfless, so kind. She looked at him and let out a contended sigh before realizing that she was staring at him again.

She cleared her throat and momentarily averted her gaze. "Adrien that is the nicest thing," she told him and smiled. He looked up at her tentatively but her words and positive expression gave him the reassurance he needed to carry on. "That's not wrong at all, you shared what you believe is best from a place of wanting what is best – how on earth could that be silly?"

"Thanks Mari," he responded, "I needed to hear that." Marinette had become all the more precious to him this week, something she was achieving with him when he was both in and out of the mask, and he looked all the more forward to soon being able to tell her who he was. "How were your conversations with Cat Noir? What did you talk about?"

Thankfully she didn't notice the slip, referencing other conversations he shouldn't know about. "Similar things I think," she agreed, "the factors affecting what might happen if they do share."

"And do _you_ believe they should share?" he asked, keen to know her honest thoughts about what she had already told him as Cat Noir.

"We talked a lot about it, but ultimately they have to figure it out for themselves," she told him. A disappointing answer, until she added, "but yes, I think they need each other in a way and shouldn't lose that, so they should share." This was the first time she had expressed it with such certainty, making it a moment of clarity for her as well.

"Well let's hope they do then," Adrien stated, beaming. "It will be weird to not have them around anymore though, and that no one will know who they are." What questions Paris would have. What theories would its people concoct about them? It would be an interesting few months ahead, whatever happens, maybe even longer.

"Yeah, I can't say I want there to be another reason for them to come back, but at the same time I do hope they get to come back."

"Marinette!" Alya suddenly called as the other two came back over to them.

"What?" she cried back.

"Class is in two minutes and you haven't touched your food!" Alya pointed out.

"You too, Dude," Nino added, gesturing to Adrien's plate. "Distracted by the view?" he queried knowingly, elbowing Adrien in the side. Both of them blushed at that, before looking at each other and trying their best to eat as much of their food as they could whilst maintaining composure in front of one another.

"What were you talking about then?" Alya enquired.

"Ladybug and Cat Noir," Marinette informed her with a grin.

"What?! My favorite people in the world and you left me out of it?" she expressed, clearly exasperated, before calming and adding, "except you three."

"We've gotta go guys," Nino reminded them, Marinette and Adrien stuffing whatever suitable lunch items they could into their bags, taking the final bites of food they could manage before clearing the table.


	9. Part 9: LADYNOIR

_**Notes:** Another surprise! These also happen on the same day so it's only fair you get to continue the story on the same day too. _

* * *

They had agreed to meet at 5pm on Île aux Cygnes by the Statue of Liberty, and Cat Noir was feeling good about it, having been unable to think about anything but this all day. He had been perched on the ledge at the statue's feet since around 4.30pm, paying little attention to the people gathered below who were wondering what he was doing there, while he thought over all of the conversations that had taken place in the last week, both as himself and as Adrien. He felt incredibly fortunate to have both Ladybug _and_ Marinette in his life and couldn't wait for, what he felt was the strong possibility of, being able to share with both of them who he was. He had been wondering what would happen when he showed Marinette his face, having never really considered what sharing with anyone other than Ladybug would be like, when Ladybug startled him.

"Penny for your thoughts?" she said, looking down at him from her place sat atop the tablet in the statue's arm.

"When did you get here?!" he asked, amazed not to have noticed her arrival. He really must have been deep in thought about Marinette, which surprised him too.

"About two minutes ago," she explained, "what were you thinking about that you didn't even notice the people down there move about and point when I appeared?" Cat Noir glanced down and saw that the crowd was bigger, and gave them his signature two fingered salute.

Cat Noir wasn't sure it would be prudent to start the conversation with his desire to share his identity with someone else, much less another girl. "Oh you know, it's been an intense week," he covered, "there's been a lot to think about."

Ladybug couldn't argue with that, and jumped down to sit next to him. "Tell me about it, Kitty. Did _you_ sleep much this week?"

"Ha ha, no, not really," he admitted. "I didn't even get any cat naps!" She groaned at him, "You too though, huh?" he enquired.

As if on cue, she let out a yawn. "Definitely not as much as I'd have liked. But you and I are no strangers to interrupted nights, are we, kitten?" She seemed to be being extra affectionate with the nicknames today. He took that as a good sign.

"True enough," he granted, "I guess that's one thing that will be nice to get back." Not quite meaning to interrupt the light-hearted conversation they'd had going so far, he had unintentionally brought them on to the main area of discussion for the day.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she said, her tone suggesting that she still had some hang-ups about leaving their superhero activities behind. That made her harder to read over all and Cat Noir was left wondering which way this conversation would actually end up going.

"You're not looking forward to giving this up, are you?" Cat asked her, deciding that if there were ever a time for direct questions about this all, it was probably now.

"We probably shouldn't talk about it so close to a crowd, huh?" she pointed out, and he wondered if any motivation for that answer was as an avoidance technique. Before he could query any further she jumped off, and over towards the nearby bridge. He would follow her to the ends of the earth if necessary, but sometimes he wished she would tell him where they were actually going first. Thankfully it wasn't far and immediately he knew he should have just guessed and he would have been right. It would be one of their favorite look outs, however on-the-nose it was, and he followed her up to their usual secluded seating place half way up the Eiffel Tower.

"Could you have picked somewhere more obvious?" he teased her, grinning as he caught up.

"Oh hush," she quieted him, "what more fitting place for the heroes of Paris to have their last discussion," she reasoned, adding, "as heroes at least."

He sat quietly with her for a while longer, she appreciating the view of Paris from this position, he enjoying being able to stare at her uninterrupted. She didn't even berate him when she caught him staring at her, simply smiling at him, and he noticed her eyes were wet. She wasn't crying but she was obviously already feeling deeply about what they were walking away from.

"Thank you, Cat," she spoke up, looking him in the eye.

"What for?" he asked, slightly confused but happy to have all of her attention.

"For everything," she responded simply. "Having a supervillain in Paris was never a good thing, but you've made this whole experience wonderful." That was strong language – he noted that she hadn't said, 'you helped make', but 'you've made', and he found himself with his own eyes watering. Neither of them were sad in this moment, it was a sort of appreciation for their shared experiences over the last few years and for each other.

"You've been the highlight of my life, My Lady, not just the silver lining of a bad situation." It wasn't often he got to say such corny things to her without her brushing them off, but today she took the compliment without complaint.

"So," she decided to get to it, "I'm guessing you still want to share identities? No, concerns?"

He knew the best way forward for the future was honesty in every way, and so he alluded to his week in his answer. "Well I can't say _no_ concerns." It had been a week to remember, that was for sure. He waited for her to respond but she had gone quiet, staring at him. "Ladybug?"

She looked at him a moment longer before replying, with a quiet voice, "you mean you aren't convinced we should be doing this?"

Her demeanor had changed so much that Cat wasn't sure what to say. He was glad to have been able to actually take the week to think things through as much as he had, given how he hadn't thought he even had anything to think about to begin with, but his admittance of hesitancy seemed to have spooked her and he didn't want to ruin this moment. "Of course, I am," he reassured her, "I'm just a little scared, if I'm honest."

"Why?" she asked, her voice still withdrawn but her eyes still following him.

"Well," he answered, slowly, so as to be as delicate as he could with her, "because," he looked away, scared to admit his hesitancies, "what if everything changes between us?" he finished, and looked back to see her reaction.

Her heart was beating fast, she had expected Cat to be his usual over-confident self with her, and had been relying on that to help her overcome the uncertainty she still felt about revealing themselves to each other. But he was expressing fears. What if sharing was wrong after all? It was all too much and she didn't know how to handle it. So she jumped.

Cat Noir watched as the expression on her face had gone paler and she had started taking shallower breaths, then all of a sudden she had leapt off of the tower and was swinging away towards the Jardins du Trocadéro. Fast as he had ever moved he grabbed his baton and threw himself after her. Although she was fast they had always managed to keep up with each other – plus, she didn't seem to be running from him exactly. At least she wasn't checking if he was following. Once she had made a turn past Trocadéro he was certain he knew where she was going. This road led to the Arc de Triomphe.

Ladybug found the ledge around the Arc, below the top, and sat on it, letting some of the emotions out. From this position no one on the roof could see or hear them due to the safety fence, and although people on the ground could see them they couldn't hear anything from this distance. She felt Cat land close to her but didn't look up, leaning her back against the Arc, eyes closed.

Cat gave her her space and approached slowly and respectfully, wondering what to say, wondering why she had run. "Ladybug?"

"Sorry, Cat," she apologized. "I didn't mean to bail on you," she admitted, "I just got scared."

"Do I scare you, My Lady?" he asked her, hoping not to be the source of her fear.

"No, Cat, of course not," she assured him, looking his way. "It's just," she looked out over Paris again, "I'm scared about that too, and you've always been so ready to share that I thought you're certainty would help me overcome my fear. Knowing you're scared too was like facing this whole thing again for the first time." She looked back at him. "Does that make sense?"

"Yes, Bugaboo, I totally get it," he said kindly, and finally sat down next to her.

"Sorry if I scared you," she said, leaning her head on his shoulder.

 _His_ heart was racing this time, though obviously for a different reason, and he leaned his head against hers. He wished they could just stay like this forever – it was all he wanted. "It's ok, Ladybug, this has been an emotional week for us both."

"You know," she started, "at first all I was thinking about was what it would be like to have to give up my powers, but I came to realize that that wouldn't have been the worst part."

"No?" he asked.

"When I stopped to really think about it, the idea of not seeing you again was worse than that."

Tugs on heart strings. "My Lady, you're going to make me blush," he said, already actually blushing.

She laughed lightly against him. "Don't get a big head, Kitty. But I do mean it. What have you been feeling?"

"Well, something similar. I've been scared of never seeing you again after today." He admitted, not knowing that she already knew this. "This week has been so long to get through because of fearing what we're going to decide and not wanting to deal with it, but at the same time it's not been long enough to really think about everything."

Ladybug _hmm-ed_ in agreement.

He took a deep breath, "can I be honest with you, My Lady?"

"You know you can, Kitty," she said, then thought she needed to add something more to help him believe her, "I won't run again."

He was calmed to hear that. "I've been scared of whether or not you'd like the real me, or if it would make you not like me…" he had said it out loud and she nodded against his shoulder as she thought about it.

"Can I be honest with you?" she asked in return. "I'm kind of scared of the same thing. I'm scared that, because I've told you about liking someone else, that knowing who I am will make that more real to you, and you won't like me for it. And I'm scared that if it changes our friendship and we are ever needed to do this again in the future, that it will have somehow ruined our partnership." That was the conclusion she had come to in terms of articulating how revealing identities could cause problems in a possible future battle.

He sat there for a while thinking about it. "I'll make you a promise, Ladybug," he eventually told her. "I will always be your Cat Noir whenever you might need me to be – whatever happens you will always be able to count on me for that."

She looked up at him and smiled and he smiled back. "Thank you, Cat." She put her hand in his, taking a moment to think about her response so that it could be genuine. "Then I promise to always be your superhero partner if ever we are needed again."

He was closer to her than he had ever been, in more ways than one, and was ready to face this head on. "I may have experienced some concerns, but I'm still certain I want to know you," he told her. "I've never known anything more surely in my life."

"Ok," she informed him. "I think I'm ready…" lifting her head from his shoulder (much to his disappointment) before adding, "…but perhaps not here."

He suddenly remembered where they were and realized she was probably right. She stood up and he followed, placing a hand on her shoulder, and as she turned back to face him she saw his other hand scratching the back of his neck. The same embarrassed gesture he had had after lifting her to the roof as Marinette. 'What was making he embarrassed exactly?' she wondered. "My Lady?" he asked her.

"What is it Cat?" she asked softly.

"I had a request, and I understand if you say no, but I might never have the chance again so wanted to ask anyway. But I really understand if you say no." He was confusing her to say the least. They had just agreed to find out who each other was – what might he never have the chance to do again?

"Errm, what's the request?" she asked, just as softly, but with a bit more confusion laced in.

"It's just, uh, that I was, uh, wondering…" he breathed in to steady himself. "May I kiss you, My Lady? Just once?"

She thought for a moment on the request. She knew how he felt, and he knew that she didn't share those feelings. She had kissed him once before, but that was to break the spell of an akuma, though she knew he had been heartbroken to have received a kiss and yet have missed it.

"I know you have feelings for someone else, and I don't mean to intrude on that, it's just, we may never be us, like this, again."

She stepped close to him and looked up so that their faces were mere inches apart. She closed her eyes and rose softly onto her tiptoes, delicately placing a soft kiss on his lips.

His eyes closed too and for a moment time stood still.

She dropped slowly back to her feet and opened her eyes to look at him, seeing a look of pure joy formed softly on his face as his eyes remained closed for another few seconds. That expression spoke of the peace and perfection that the moment had encapsulated for him, and although she had thought she had no romantic feelings for him she found herself wishing she could give him that feeling again in the future.

Eyes still closed he smiled the most satisfied smile a person could. "Thank you, My Lady."

She continued to look at him as she wondered what exactly it was that she felt for him – she hadn't thought it was romantic, but it seemed to be more than just friendship and more than even the camaraderie their partnership had developed. She pushed the thoughts aside, and joked, distracting herself as much as anything. "If this _is_ the last sighting of us, then that will sure give the media something to talk about," she smiled at him.

"So, where should we go?" he asked, telling her without words that he had no intention of dwelling on what just happened and making her uncomfortable about it, and that they could continue their evening.

She took a moment before making a suggestion. "This might sound weird," she offered, "but hear me out. How about we go to Françoise Dupont school?" He thought it was a strange suggestion if he was honest and his expression conveyed that, so she went on. "We had so many akuma battles there or close to it, and the first akuma victim was from there – do you remember Ivan?"

"How could I forget our first meeting, My Lady?" He winked.

"Well, I think it would be a nice symmetry of sorts to end things there. Plus, at this time it should be empty so we wouldn't have to worry about being seen."

"Françoise Dupont it is then," he agreed.


	10. Part 10: ADRINETTE

_**Notes:** One final_ _surprise! Rather than leave you with the suspense from the last chapter, I'm going straight into the final chapter (this also happens on the same day so it's only fair, though this one goes into the next day, so you're getting it early in that sense!). Hope you've enjoyed it and are excited for the conclusion._

* * *

As they travelled across Paris to the collège, Cat Noir felt elated. It seemed he was finally about to learn who his Lady was, and she had even shared the most perfect kiss with him. Ladybug still wasn't quite sure what she felt about finally meeting Cat Noir without the mask, but she was certain that she _did_ want to.

They reached the school and found a way in from the top. The building was empty, lights off and everything tidied away, school now closed for the weekend. Cat Noir led them to what had been their own classroom, albeit not knowing it had been hers too, explaining, "this was Ivan's classroom then, so how about here?" Smiling to herself she agreed and he held the door open for her as they went in. They stood a few feet apart at the front of the classroom and faced each other, Cat closest to the door. "How do we do this?" he asked her.

"How about on three, let's both drop our transformations?" she suggested.

"Ok," he agreed, "that works for me."

"Ok. Here goes… One…" she started.

"Two…" he continued.

"Three…" they finished.

"Spots Off", "Claws In," they spoke in unison.

Perhaps their kwamis had somehow decided this together in advance, or perhaps the anticipation was affecting their perceptions, but the transformations seemed to leave them in a way that was much slower than normal. It started at their feet and a green and pink glow brought some light into the otherwise twilit classroom, moving up their bodies as they were each able to see the other's pants, then shirts, until just the masks remained.

Seeing what each other was wearing, the recognition just started to kick in so that, as the masks disappeared from their eyes, their mouths had each fallen open to see who the other was standing in front of them.

For a little while they each stood there, beholding the other as the realization of who it had been all along washed over them.

Eventually their eyes met and almost in sync with each other both of their mouths turned to smiles. They each took a tentative step toward each other and started to laugh – at first a quiet giggle, rising to full-bodied laughter as they walked into each other's arms and embraced. "I can't believe it's you!" Marinette said through the laughter.

"I can't believe it's you!" Adrien returned. Their laughter had already subsided to a chuckle as they spoke and quietened down further as they held each other tighter. Soon, each realized the other was crying as they held their partner for what was in a way the first time of truly doing so. "I'm so glad it's you," Adrien told her through tears.

"I'm so glad it's you," she echoed back. They let the tears roll and held each other close for what felt like both an eternity and a second. Arms still around each other they pulled back enough to be able to look each other in the face, neither minding about how wet the others cheeks were knowing that their own eyes were just as watery.

"All this time," he thought aloud, "the girl of my dreams was sitting behind me in class…" She smiled at him, "…and I missed it!" he exclaimed, and she laughed with him as he hugged her again.

They stood embraced for a while again, each reinterpreting years of interactions with each other both in and out of masks – so much made more sense, and so much meant something else, now that they knew the truth.

Eventually he spoke up, pulling apart to look at one other again but still remaining in each other's arms, "Ladybu… Marinette…?" he asked.

"Yes…?" she responded.

"I'm sorry, but I have to ask…" he started, the smile fading from his face, "who's the other guy?"

She smiled a wide, sly smile at him, and teased, "Oh I think you might know him, Cat."

"Oh?" he asked her, confused by the smile at what he figured she must know would be difficult for him to hear.

"His name is Adrien Agreste," she told him, beaming.

"WHAT?!" he all but shouted in response, and she pulled him close again, laughing, with her nose pressed into his shoulder, while he was frozen in shock.

"And can you believe my crush was at my side this whole time…" she explained, echoing his own revelation, "…and I missed it! Rejected him even!" she said, the smile never leaving her face as the emotions of it all rushed through her.

He came to and placed a kiss on the top of her head. "I couldn't have wished for My Lady to be anyone better."

Repeating what had happened not that long ago she turned her face towards him and stood slowly up onto her tiptoes. Ready this time, he returned the kiss, just as soft as before, as they embraced each other fully.

Stepping back down she took his hand and led them to sit down on the floor, leaning back against the teacher's desk. She leant her head on his shoulder once more and held his hand again, and he couldn't believe how lucky he must be to be back in the position he thought he might never get to experience again.

"You had no idea I was crushing on you?" she eventually asked him.

"You can make fun, but how many times have _you_ rejected _me_?" he teased her. She playfully smacked him in the chest. 'So that kind of thing is staying then,' he thought to himself, smiling.

"Seriously though?" she asked again.

He looked at her and grinned. "It was one of my theories," he revealed to her.

"One of?" she enquired back.

"Well, yeah, I wasn't just going to assume that you had a crush on me. I may be a 'smart, handsome boy'," he grinned at her, "but I don't exactly aspire to narcissism. Plus, I was being committed to, well, you." He felt silly to have ignored the signs for so long, even if he had never come to the firm conclusion that she had had a crush. How had he missed it? How had he missed her? "And how does it feel to know that we could have had this figured out years ago if you hadn't kept on rebuffing me?"

Another smack in the chest answered that. "I feel like a fool, ok?" she admitted. "But I was being committed to, you know, you…" At least it now seemed funny – the week had had each of them so focused on future possibilities that the idea of dwelling on the past didn't come naturally right now.

"So we spent the week apart from each other, but actually spent the whole week talking to each other!" Adrien commented.

"I know," she agreed. "Isn't it funny. Plus I guess we aren't each of us going to ask about sharing with one other person after all, huh?" she observed.

"So you're telling me that I can't just go out and tell Nino?" Adrien joked. He anticipated another smack but none came. Marinette had gone quiet, lost in thought about something else. "Marinette?" he asked, bringing her back to the room.

"About that…" she started. "Don't kill me…"

"You told Nino?!" Adrien responded, dumbstruck by even the idea that she might have done such a thing.

"No, no, not exactly," she calmed him. "No one else knows who I am other than Master Fu. It's just… Nino's Carapace." Adrien was left in shock once again as his jaw dropped. The revelations were not stopping here, he knew.

His voice rose as he spoke, "Nino! Nino! Nino is Carapace!" he nearly jumped off the ground with excitement, but kept himself down for fear of losing being this close to Marinette. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here – Rena Rouge has to be Alya then." The shock was already gone as things fell into place while he thought back to previous battles and the first appearance of other miraculous holders. She nodded at him in confirmation, a small proud smile across her cheeks.

They spoke for a while about the other miraculous holders and whether they should all meet up together and tell them the truth about who each other was. "We need at least another week to think on that one, don't we?" Adrien suggested.

"Yep, but perhaps let's just talk to each other directly this time," she joked and they smiled knowingly at one another.

When he spoke up again the tone was more serious. "Marinette… Princess…"

"Yes, Kitty," she asked him, and his heart fluttered to hear the nickname despite them being out of suits.

"I'm sorry for everything my family has put us through." He felt a burden knowing that his father had put this all into motion.

"Adrien, it's not your fault," she reassured him and lifted a hand to his cheek. "I'm sorry for having to break your family apart." She was feeling a similar responsibility for what Adrien was going through at home.

"It's not your fault either, Marinette," he assured her in return. "I'm looking forward to leaving all the dark parts behind us," he told her.

"Me too," she said, and nuzzled into his arm. They sat for a minute more before she spoke up. "Hey, how do you fancy something from my parents' bakery?"

"Will it be baguettes?" he asked mischievously.

She glared at him and stuck her tongue out. "Let's see what they have today, shall we?" she suggested instead, rising to her feet and pulling him up

"But what if I want a baguette?" he carried on as he stood. "Don't go bake-ing my heart now."

"Come on, you silly Cat." She took his hand to walk out before stopping abruptly at the door. "Wait."

"Forgotten something?" he asked, confused by her sudden stopping.

"Where's Tikki?" she asked, looking around the now dusky room.

"Right!" he suddenly realized. "Plagg, where are you?"

"You two have been fun to watch," Plagg's voice responded, and the two of them looked over to see their kwamis sitting on what used to be Marinette's desk. Funnily enough their position was almost exactly the same as the one Adrien and Marinette had been sat in on the floor.

"You've been _adorable_ to watch," Tikki corrected him as they flew towards them.

"Adorable, cringe-worthy, whatever, I find it funny," Plagg told them as he perched on Adrien's shoulder, while Tikki hugged Marinette on the cheek. "It still can't believe you never figured it out."

"You already knew?!" Adrien berated Plagg, "and you never told me?"

Tikki spoke up again, "you know this had to be your decision together," She explained to him. "We couldn't have told you if we wanted to," she informed him smiling. "But it's wonderful to be able to finally all of us talk together."

"Marinette, does your bakery have any camembert?" Plagg asked her. She was momentarily confused by the question until Adrien informed her it was pretty much all he ate.

"I'm sure we can find you something," she told him.

"Then what are we waiting for?" he responded. "Let's all go and eat!"

…

Adrien came over to the bakery the next morning. They'd spent the evening before there, with Tom & Sabine fussing over Adrien, finally appreciating the embarrassment they were causing her when they spotted that they would hold hands whenever they were next to each other. Sabine continued to fuss over him though, speaking with him in Chinese here and there to keep the other two guessing. After an actual dinner Marinette and Adrien had climbed up to her roof, the spot having so much meaning for them. Marinette's face had burned red as they walked through the room she hadn't had time to remove all the pictures of Adrien from – "say another word about this and we'll revisit that conversation about action figures", she had warned him when he had started laughing and reminding her of his pledge to find out something embarrassing about her. The kwamis had come out to join them there and the four had sat together. Adrien had gotten to know Tikki and Marinette Plagg as the two stood side by side, leant against the balcony, and they had talked long into the night before Adrien went home.

Today was another big day though, and having greeted Marinette's parents affectionately and managed to talk his way into some free macaroons they headed out together and off towards Master Fu's massage parlor. They held hands, Marinette's free hand reaching up and holding his upper arm, leaning into him while they walked.

Master Fu was waiting for them, Wayzz at the ready to see Tikki and Plagg. "I see you found each other," he greeted them at the door, a proud smile across his face. They smiled at him and followed him through to sit on the mat once more.

"Did you know who we were when you first gave us the miraculous? Or who we were to each other?" Adrien asked him as the kwamis flew towards the miracle box. Now that all was done they were going to enter it to see the other kwamis for the morning.

"I did not," he told them. "I was simply guided to two people who showed simple acts of kindness and consideration in situations where most people walked past."

"Guided? By what?" Marinette probed.

"A secret knowledge known only to the guardians and the kwamis," he informed them.

"You mean Plagg knew from the beginning who Ladybug was?" Adrien asked, still reeling at having found out he had known her identity.

"No, he did not. Because of the danger neither Tikki nor Plagg were supposed to know who the other's owner was. Not until you faced Dark Owl and detransformed in front of each other did either of your kwamis learn who the other's holder was." That was a battle to remember, one of a few very close calls, but Hawkmoth had never made an akuma that had succeeded. "Kwamis know well enough the importance of keeping identities secret, and keeping the truth of their own knowledge secret too."

"I still can't believe Tikki talked me through so many freak-outs about Adrien without ever telling me _he_ was Cat Noir." She had initially felt a twinge of betrayal when she knew that Tikki had known, but was always able to see things from Tikki's point of view and appreciated what she had done. "How much easier would it have been for us both if we had just known who the other was."

"While that may be true in one respect it is also difficult to know for certain." Master Fu informed her. "Looking back on it all, it turned out Cat Noir was living in the same house as Hawkmoth, things could have turned out very, very differently, and if they had and Adrien had known who you were, who's to say what might have taken place". In a way it was all irrelevant, since the two were so focused on the future now instead of the past.

"What should we do now then, Master?" Marinette asked. "Should we reveal ourselves to the other miraculous holders?"

"Once again, Ladybug, that is a question that you and Cat Noir must answer yourselves. I cannot decide it for you, though I have a feeling that once more I already know what you will both decide." They looked at each other, knowing in their own hearts what they wanted to do, but surprised that the guardian still seemed to know both of them better than they knew each other. "However, I would recommend that they not be brought here. The less people who know this location and the home of all of the miraculous, the better."

"Can we take our kwamis with us for another week to think about it?" Adrien asked him, mostly looking to delay the inevitable relinquishing of his ring and imagining Marinette to be just as eager to put it off as well.

"You wish more time with Plagg and Tikki?" he enquired, looking between them as they nodded. "Then I have something else for you to think on," he shared cryptically.

They both leaned forward.

"Now that I have had the opportunity for extended time studying the original miraculous grimoire, I have discovered hidden information about the temple of the guardians that I had never known before." They were transfixed on whatever he had to share with them, knowing that there was still so much to learn about the miraculous. "Would you both be interested in accompanying me to China, to explore whatever ruins of the temple remain?"

They really were going to have another intense week of contemplation ahead of them.

* * *

 _ **FINAL NOTES:**_ _Well, from my first piece of fanfiction last month_ _to one that is more than three times the length of that one. It's been a blast to write, even knowing that both of them will probably not age well as changes take place in canon (I'm not planning to do any follow up to either of them, but perhaps I'll come back and update them to bring them in line with any canon changes – up to the reveal at least). In the meantime they have been fun to write, and I hope remain fun to read_ _(why not try out my first one?_ _/s/13066242/1/Revealed-in-a-Moment-of-Need_ _)_ _, even if they do diverge from the show._

 _P.S. There's a fanart piece by buggachat that I think ties in somewhat (though not completely) to this reveal which you can enjoy here - post/174924330098/the-best-kind-of-reveal_


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